Article ID: 2025-004
Surface bio-engineering of polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs) represents a pivotal advancement in modern biomedical research, offering transformative potential for diagnostics, therapeutic interventions, and drug delivery. This approach focuses on functionalizing PNP surfaces with bioactive moieties, enabling precise and targeted interactions with biological systems. Despite its promise, several challenges hinder the clinical translation of surface-bioengineered PNPs. These include achieving precise control over surface modifications, maintaining stability within biological environments, and ensuring sustained, targeted interactions with cells and tissues. Furthermore, issues related to scalability, reproducibility, and long-term safety complicate their widespread adoption in medical applications. This review explores recent advancements in the design and application of surface-biofunctionalized PNPs, encompassing their use in biosensing, bioimaging, and targeted therapeutic delivery. Emphasis is placed on the molecular mechanisms driving the attachment of bioactive entities to PNP surfaces and their impact on nanoparticle stability and efficacy in both in vitro and in vivo systems. Current obstacles, such as limited control over functionalization processes and challenges in ensuring consistency across manufacturing scales, are critically analyzed. Finally, potential solutions and future research directions to overcome these barriers are discussed, highlighting the transformative possibilities of surface-bioengineered PNPs in addressing complex biomedical challenges.
