Nanoshuttles, precisely guided and controlled by a doctor, have the potential to transport therapeutic agents directly to diseased tissues. This improves the therapeutic efficacy and reduces systemic side effects of highly toxic drugs.

Joseph Wang and co-workers, University of California, San Diego, USA, report the proof-of-concept of drug carrier transport and delivery by a catalytic nanoshuttle. The nanoshuttles picked-up drug-loaded poly-D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) particles and transported them over predefined routes to target destinations.

The loading and release of the drug-loaded particles was controlled by the magnetic attraction between a nickel segment of the nanoshuttle and iron oxide nanoparticles contained with the PLGA particles. The loading and release are instantaneous and the PLGA particles were delivered three orders of magnitude faster than particles transported by Brownian motion.

• Rapid Delivery of Drug Carriers Propelled and Navigated by Catalytic Nanoshuttles
  D. Kagan, R. Laocharoensuk, M. Zimmerman, C. Clawson, S. Balasubramanian et al.,
  Small 2010, 6.
  DOI: 10.1002/smll.201001257