Controlled drug delivery: Present and future

Advances in controlled release drug delivery systems have been largely based on advances in functional polymers. However, the future of controlled release dosage forms will likely be heavily dependent upon an increased understanding of protein chemistry and cell biology principles. As our understanding increases on how cells function in normal and disease states and what limits the actions of potential therapeutics, the possibility of designing delivery technologies into a therapeutic offers tremendous potential for clinical interventions with maximal efficacy and minimal side effects. Genes and gene products and peptide and protein drugs will be the drugs of choice in the future due to their exquisitely specific bioactivities. Delivery approaches for these classes of therapeutics will likely come in many forms, some of which may be radically new. As in the current millennium, the success of delivery approaches in the next millenium will require interdisciplinary approaches.