Revolutionizing Cancer Treatment: Biopolymer-Based Aerogels as Smart Platforms for Targeted Drug Delivery

Cancer stands as a leading cause of global mortality, with chemotherapy being a pivotal treatment approach, either alone or in conjunction with other therapies. The primary goal these therapies is to inhibit the growth of cancer cells specifically, while minimizing harm to healthy dividing cells. Conventional treatments have been hampered by their side effects, often causing severe discomfort to patients. Researchers have been exploring innovative approaches to target cancer cells selectively. In this context, biopolymer-based aerogels emerge as innovative platforms, showcasing unique properties that respond intelligently to diverse stimuli, including temperature, pH variations, magnetic fields, and redox potential. This responsiveness enables precise control over the release of anticancer drugs, enhancing therapeutic outcomes. The significance of these aerogels lies in their ability to offer targeted drug delivery with increased efficacy, biocompatibility, and a high drug payload. In this comprehensive review, we discuss the role of biopolymer-based aerogels as an emerging functionalized platforms in anticancer drug delivery. The review addresses the unique properties of biopolymer-based aerogels showing their smart behavior in responding to different stimuli including temperature, pH, magnetic and redox potential to control anticancer drug release. Finally, the review discusses the application of different biopolymer-based aerogel in delivering different anticancer drugs and also discusses the potential of these platforms in gene delivery applications. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.