Targeted Drug Delivery for Breast Cancer using Functionalized Liposomes: Preparation Methods, Challenges, and Clinical Translation

Abstract

Breast cancer continues to be a major cause to cancer-related deaths globally, highlighting the urgent need for more targeted and efficient treatment approaches. This review focuses on targeted drug delivery systems using functionalized liposomes, which have emerged as promising nanocarriers due to their ability to improve drug solubility, stability, and site-specific delivery. They alter a drug's pharmacokinetics and biodistribution to improve pharmacological efficacy while minimizing systemic toxicity. The review provides a comprehensive overview of various liposome preparation methods, highlighting their advantages, limitations, and suitability for drug encapsulation. We also discuss surface modifications for active tumor targeting and overcoming challenges in the tumor microenvironment. Clinical translation hurdles, including scalability, reproducibility, and regulatory concerns, are also examined. This review concludes with an overview of current advancements and future perspectives on optimizing functionalized liposomes for personalized breast cancer therapy. The insights aim to guide the design of more effective liposomal formulations for clinical use.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Chemotherapeutic drug; Encapsulation; Functionalized liposomes; Malignancies; Targeted drug delivery.