Assistant Professor Keio University Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Introduction: Targeted drug delivery in response to external stimuli (magnetic field, light, ultrasound, heat) is an attractive strategy for on-demand delivery to specific tissues. Stimulus-responsive drug carriers can undergo in situ functional changes, allowing external control of drug pharmacokinetics. However, maintaining long-term drug retention at the target site after stimulation is turned off remains a major challenge. We considered that inducing persistent changes in carrier properties in response to external stimulation could enhance targeting efficiency. Herein, we present a targeted delivery strategy based on irreversible aggregation of drug carriers triggered by mild external heating.
Learning Objectives:
Explain the mechanism of heat-induced irreversible aggregation of micelles via bioorthogonal crosslinking.
Evaluate how heat-guided irreversible aggregation enables sustained drug retention in tumors.
Assess design principles and translational potential of heat-guided drug delivery using polymeric micelles.
