Targeted drug therapy is a hot topic in cancer drug research, and at present, many targeted therapeutic drugs have been approved for the treatment of cancer by the FDA in the United States and other countries, and some targeted therapeutic drugs and methods are still in clinical trials. Below, let’s discuss what the interpretation of targeted drug therapy for cancer treatment is.

Principles of Drug Targeting:

According to the different principles of target points, drug targets can be divided into passive targets, active targets, and physics targets, among others:

1. Passive Target

Medicines in passive targets refer to the use of the physiological structure characteristics of special tissues and human organs to cause natural distribution differences in drugs in the body, thereby achieving the target effect. The passive target is largely dependent on the specification efficacy of drugs or their carriers: particles over 7μm are generally filtered out by the small capillaries of the lung through mechanical filtration methods, engulfed by monocytes into lung tissue or alveoli; particles over 200nm are easily engulfed by the liver and its reticular structure epithelial system. The most widespread in passive targets is the EPR effect, which is based on the difference in capillary structures between solid tumors and normal tissues: normal capillary epithelial spaces are high-density and structurally detailed, and biomacromolecules and larger particles are not easy to pass through the vascular wall; while in solid tumor tissues, there are more newborn vessels and wider vascular wall gaps with poor consistency, and there is a lack of lymphatic return. These differences cause biomacromolecule drugs or particles with a diameter of about 100nm to be more easily accumulated in tumor tissues, thereby achieving the target effect; in addition, the use of the unique pH, enzyme environment, and cellular recovery environment of the tumor position can also achieve the release of drugs in special locations, achieving the goal of targeted drug delivery.

2. Active Target

The key is the ability to actively integrate drugs or their carriers with target points, the key methods include coupling probe molecules that can specifically fuse with the molecular structure of target points, such as antigens, active peptides, glycan chains, and nucleic acid aptamers, to the surface of drugs or carriers through organic or physical methods, thereby achieving the actual effect of the target.

3. Physics Target

The physics data signals such as light refraction, heat, electromagnetic field, static electric field, and ultrasound, the artificial control of drug distribution and drug release characteristics in the body due to human factors, and the completion of the target points for the location of the disease.