Drug delivery
Drug delivery is the administration of a medicine and the design of systems that control its distribution, timing, and release in the body.
Pharmacokinetics: The study of how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and eliminates drugs. These processes determine how delivery choices shape a drug’s concentration over time.
Route of administration: The path by which a drug enters the body, such as oral, intravenous, or transdermal administration. Route determines which barriers a delivery system must cross.
Lipid nanoparticle: A nanoscale particle made largely of lipids that can transport therapeutic molecules into cells. Lipid nanoparticles deliver fragile nucleic-acid medicines, including mRNA vaccines.
Oral administration: The administration of a drug by swallowing it for absorption through the gastrointestinal tract. It is convenient but exposes drugs to gastrointestinal conditions and first-pass metabolism.
Enhanced permeability and retention effect: The tendency of some tumors to accumulate certain macromolecules because of abnormal vessels and impaired drainage. Its variability across tumors limits how reliably passive nanoparticle targeting works.
Controlled-release drug delivery: Drug delivery designed to release an active ingredient at a specified rate over time. It extends or regulates drug exposure instead of releasing the full dose immediately.
Dosage form: The physical form in which a medicine is prepared for administration, such as a tablet, solution, or patch. The dosage form is the drug’s immediate vehicle for entering the body.
Transdermal patch: An adhesive dosage form that delivers a drug through the skin into systemic circulation. Patches provide sustained delivery without swallowing or injection.
Intravenous therapy: The delivery of fluids or medicines directly into a vein. It bypasses absorption barriers and provides immediate systemic access, unlike most routes.
Endosomal escape: The release of material from endosomes into the cell cytoplasm after cellular uptake. Many nucleic-acid delivery systems enter cells but fail to release cargo into the cytoplasm.