What Nanocarrier Drug Loading & Release got wrong, from 19 theses

Lost to a baseline

PGC-PTX + PTX NPs had higher in vitro IC50 values (14.1 to 67.2 ng/mL) across mesothelioma cell lines compared to free PTX (1-10 ng/mL) due to slow sustained drug release.

Design, formulation, characterization, and evaluation of polymeric nanoparticles for local chemotherapy · Boston University · PhD

Lost to a baseline

PEG 8000–fenofibrate eutectic printed tablets released only 69% drug after 120 min, whereas prior powdered eutectic formulations in capsules achieved ~100% release after 60 min.

Formulation strategies for the 3D extrusion printing of tablets containing a poorly soluble drug · Nottingham · Doctorate

Lost to a baseline

Curcumin-loaded Poly ε-Caprolactone nanofibers reached only ~50% cumulative release after 30 days, compared to other polymer systems reaching almost 100%.

Curcumin as endometriosis treatment: efficacy, drawbacks, and future perspectives · Boston University · Master's

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected longer ω-carboxyalkanoate linkers (adipate or longer via benzyl-protected acid chlorides or cross-metathesis) because excessive hydrophobicity caused polymers to swell without dissolving, yielding poor drug release.

Mixed Polysaccharide Esters for Amorphous Solid Dispersion Oral Drug Delivery Vehicles · Virginia Tech · Doctorate

Tried and failed

intermediate charge ratio complexation in lipid nanoparticles applied to siRNA delivery and gene silencing. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: intermediate charge ratios exhibited slowest release kinetics, reducing downregulation efficacy

Lipid-based nanoparticles for drug delivery · UT Austin · Doctorate

Lost to a baseline

3D-printed IR tablets slightly missed USP criterion (≥80% release within 30 min) due to high compactness and full body infill, whereas commercial IR achieves it.

Investigating Pharmaceutical 3D Printing: From Process Assessment to Product Characteristics · Tübingen · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: 80% sirolimus nanofiber loading target was rejected in favor of 40% loading due to a pronounced burst release occurring within the first 24 h.

ENGINEERING NANOSTRUCTURED MEDICAL DEVICES AND FORMULATIONS FOR IMPROVING SURGICAL OUTCOMES · Johns Hopkins · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected using single wall material (such as maltodextrin alone) due to quick gastrointestinal release, deficient emulsification, and lower encapsulation efficiency.

Dietary supplementation of haskap berry (Lonicera caerulea L.) anthocyanin-rich fraction and probiotics attenuates the severity of dextran sulfate sodium-induced acute colitis in Balb/C mice · Dalhousie · Master's

Tried and failed

direct liposomal encapsulation without charge complexation applied to pore-forming antimicrobial peptides. Reason: failed to prevent membrane lytic activity and leakage prior to intended release

Activity-based molecular circuits for programmable medicine · Georgia Tech · PhD

Tried and failed

polysaccharide surface coating for controlled release applied to mesoporous inorganic nanoparticles. Outcome: unstable. Reason: coating induced nanoparticle agglomeration and triggered non-selective burst release of loaded ions

Inorganic nanoparticles for cancer therapy · Imperial · PhD

Tried and failed

in situ albumin-binding maleimide prodrug delivery applied to cytotoxic drug delivery. Outcome: unstable. Reason: rapid premature payload release in plasma compared to preformed ex vivo conjugates

Albumin as a drug delivery carrier to overcome biological barriers in cancer · UT Austin · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected using dendrimersomes as nanocarriers for small hydrophilic drug retention due to inherent membrane semipermeability to small molecules (<600 Da).

Self-assembled vesicular nanostructures for bacterial applications · Imperial · PhD

Tried and failed

block copolymer blending for erosion rate acceleration applied to polymeric core-shell microparticle cap. Outcome: worse than baseline. Reason: Block copolymer blending did not accelerate release timing compared to physically doping homopolymer.

Microscale polymeric-based technologies for controlled vaccine delivery · MIT · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Binary liposome compositions BSM:CH (50:50 wt%) and PC:CH (50:50 wt%) were rejected in favor of the ternary BPC formulation (BSM:PC:CH 33:33:33 wt%) due to lower toxin-triggered release responsiveness

Engineering catalytic gold nanoclusters and nanovesicles for detection of disease · Imperial · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected bulk-degrading polymer micro/nanoparticles, gels, and films due to non-linear release, loss of mechanical integrity preventing retrieval, and rapid lymphatic clearance

Chemotherapy-Eluting Intraperitoneal Implants for Advanced Stage Ovarian Cancer Treatment · MIT · PhD

Tried and failed

surface modification for sustained drug release applied to mesoporous biomaterial vaccine delivery systems. Outcome: did not generalise. Reason: in vitro release kinetics failed to predict in vivo rapid clearance indistinguishable from unmodified controls

Developing strategies to enhance immune responses induced by mesoporous silica rod vaccines · Harvard · PhD

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Amphiphilic block copolymers (PLGA, PEG) and cellulosic polymers (HPMC) were rejected as primary carriers because release is diffusion-driven rather than surface-eroding.

Intratumoral, multiplexed and polymer-assisted dosing of drugs as a new method for assessment of efficacy of new oncology drug candidates or drug combinations. · Harvard · Master's

Considered and rejected

Considered and rejected: Rejected 2nd gen sequential layering of P10PSH copolymer onto preformed AuNP-RNP because maximum polymer loading achieved only N/P 0.5, insufficient for endosomal escape.

Development of Third-Generation Gold Nanoparticles (CRISPR-AuNP) for Enhanced CRISPR Delivery to Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells · University of Washington · PhD

Tried and failed

unfunctionalized vertical nanostructures for intracellular delivery applied to nucleic acid transfection in primary immune cells. Outcome: no signal. Reason: lack of surface charge or functionalization prevented effective nucleic acid binding and intracellular release

ENGINEERING MATERIALS FOR IMMUNOMODULATION · Cornell · PhD

Left open

Model drug delivery mechanisms including aerosol flow rate, delivered volume, payload release kinetics, and environmental interactions within the nanoparticle selection framework. Blocker: None

Design Tool Used for the Selection of Nanoparticle Drug Delivery Systems in the Treatment of Respiratory Diseases · Harvard · Master's

Left open

Optimize CHIR99021 dosage and encapsulate it using nanoparticles, liposomes, or bioink conjugation for sustained controlled release. Blocker: Requires wet lab facilities for nanoparticle/liposome formulation, drug conjugation, and release kinetics assays.

3D Bioprinting of Perfusable Cardiac Patches to Treat Myocardial Infarction · Georgia Tech · PhD

Left open

Conduct in vivo and stimuli-responsive release testing of therapeutic cargo and MRI contrast agents from functionalised Type II nanogels. Blocker: Requires wet lab synthesis, biological materials, and in vivo animal testing facilities

Molecular and nanoscale agents for magnetic resonance imaging · Imperial · PhD

Left open

Quantify in vitro release kinetics of resveratrol encapsulated within donkey and bovine beta-casein micelles. Blocker: Requires wet lab equipment, purified beta-casein, and dialysis/chromatography apparatus for release assays

Encapsulation of bioactive nutraceutical compounds in donkey and bovine milk β-casein-based carriers · University of Camerino · PhD

Left open

Test in vivo whether higher re-loading doses of free PROTAC enable non-covalent ADC re-loading in circulation. Blocker: Requires in vivo animal experiments and specialized wet lab facilities

Noncovalent PROTAC Antibody Drug Conjugates · MIT · PhD

Left open

Assess transported PDF models, beta-PDF intermittency factor corrections, or LES subfilter closures against the reacting jet DNS dataset. Blocker: Requires access to the proprietary or unreleased DNS flow field dataset generated in the thesis.

A reacting jet direct numerical simulation for assessing combustion model error · UT Austin · PhD

Left open

Develop and synthesize dendrimer-based nanomodulators targeting CXCR4 to encapsulate and release SDF-1α or AMD-3100. Blocker: Requires a wet chemistry and biomaterials laboratory to synthesize dendrimers and test drug release kinetics.

Evaluating Migration of Human Monocytes in an Inflammatory Environment Mimicking Burn-Induced Inflammation in Blood Donor Samples · Harvard · Master's

Left open

Test non-pH responsive, PBS-soluble anticancer drugs for encapsulation and release in pH-responsive methacrylic polymersomes. Blocker: Requires a wet chemistry and biology lab to synthesize polymersomes and perform drug encapsulation/release assays

Self-assembled block copolymers: micelles, polymersomes and gels · Imperial · PhD

Left open

Synthesize pH-responsive nanogels incorporating an enzyme-degradable peptide crosslinker (such as MMRRRKK) to enhance protein release in the small intestine. Blocker: Requires wet lab chemical synthesis (inverse emulsion polymerization) and biological degradation testing

Itaconic acid-based pH-responsive nanoscale hydrogels for the oral delivery of high isoelectric point proteins · UT Austin · PhD