Dendrimers and dendritic polymers in drug delivery.

The unique properties of dendrimers, such as their high degree of branching, multivalency, globular architecture and well-defined molecular weight, make them promising new scaffolds for drug delivery. In the past decade, research has increased on the design and synthesis of biocompatible dendrimers and their application to many areas of bioscience including drug delivery, immunology and the development of vaccines, antimicrobials and antivirals. Recent progress has been made in the application of biocompatible dendrimers to cancer treatment, including their use as delivery systems for potent anticancer drugs such as cisplatin and doxorubicin, as well as agents for both boron neutron capture therapy and photodynamic therapy.