Abstract
This review explains correlation between drug delivery systems and micromachines with focusing on drug targeting. Micromachines are mm order-sized or smaller machinery for functions in microscopic scales. “Drug targeting machine” has been described in the micromachine field as one “dream machine” working in living bodies. On the other hand, this dream has been achieved to a considerable extent in the DDS field using nano-sized carrier systems such as liposomes, synthetic and natural polymers. These carriers can be recognized as molecular machines that made from macromolecules or made by association of molecules. This review summarizes recent advances in nano-sized drug carriers and the future perspective of drug carrier research and its developments in terms of nanotechnologies.
