KEY APPLICATION AREA

Drug Delivery

Drug delivery encompasses the development of vehicles and methods to control the behavior of drugs in the body. By directing the spatial and/or temporal presentation of bioactive compounds, drug delivery strategies aim to increase therapeutic efficacy, mitigate side effects, and improve patient compliance. To achieve this level of control, bioengineers employ multiple strategies based on the type of compound being delivered (protein, nucleic acid, or small molecule) and target cell type or tissue.

Key challenges facing drug delivery today include enhancing drug transport across physiological barriers, achieving highly specific cell targeting, and precisely controlling drug release kinetics. Bioengineers at Rice University are pushing the field of drug delivery forward by developing methods and materials to treat a variety of conditions including cancer, chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and brain disorders.