Drug delivery is important for administering a pharmaceutical compound to efficiently achieve a therapeutic effect in humans or animals. For these systems novel biological and synthetic materials have been developed. One is controlled release of the active agent with a predetermined time course such as constant, oscillating, declining continuously, or even pulsatile. In other systems, materials have been designed with targeting or pathology-responsive functions. Recent development of biomaterials has expended the new possibilities of drug delivery systems. Implantable inorganic materials, nonbiodegradable and biodegradable polymers, biological materials, and the hybrid biomaterials derived from synthetic and natural macromolecules are included.

We invite overview and original papers describing current and expected challenges along with novel biological and synthetic materials for drug delivery. Both experimental and theoretical papers are welcome. The systems proposed are preferred to have a good toxicity/biocompatibility profile which has been proven by appropriate in vivo studies.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Novel biological materials for drug delivery: gene-engineered proteins, modified biopolymers including oligonucleotides, proteins, and polysaccharides
• Novel synthetic materials for drug delivery: synthetic polymers, gel, self-assembled molecules, liposomes, polymer micelles, ceramics derivatives, metal derivatives, and so on
• Targeting for drug delivery: drug conjugated antibody, cancer targeting system, and so on
• Controlled release for drug delivery: new degradable materials for constant, oscillating, declining continuously, or even pulsatile
• Enhanced cell membrane permeation for drug delivery: efficient delivery of macromolecules including oligonucleotides and proteins
• High-throughput combinatorial design approaches to enhance functions of the therapeutics