Nanoparticle-based medicines in clinical cancer therapy

Anti-cancer drugs with various mechanisms emerge in succession, but most of free therapeutics are accompanied by some disadvantages, such as poor safety and effectiveness, inability to target tumor cells, and short circulation time. Nanotechnology provides new solutions for overcoming the intrinsic limits of free therapeutics and navigating biological barriers. Considerable technological and clinical success have been achieved in cancer nanomedicines, but the main obstacle to the clinical translation of nanomedicine is an incomplete understanding of the requirements of clinical trials in new and established research scientists and the latest research of nanomedicine in clinicians. In this review, by searching the authoritative database, we introduce the progress and challenges of nanomedicines that have entered the clinical market or are ubiquitous in clinical trials for cancer therapy, including lipid-based nanoparticles, polymeric nanoparticles and albumin-based nanoparticles. Furthermore, we introduce several biomolecule-based nanomedicines that are promising for clinical application in the future, including biomimetic membranes, virus-like particles and DNA-based nanomachine, and highlight their advanced nanoparticle designs, advantages and challenges.