Macromolecular drugs could become new therapeutics for several major disorders, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. This incredible potential is explored in a volume which gives a wide-ranging overview of contemporary methods used in the field.

Macromolecular drugs hold the promise of becoming new therapeutics for several major disorders, including cancer and cardiovascular disease. This incredible potential is explored in Macromolecular Drug Delivery, a volume which gives a wide-ranging overview of contemporary methods used in the field, and which addresses the limitations presented by a lack of safe and efficient drug delivery strategies. Chapters offer information on both in vitro and in vivo methods of macromolecular delivery, thus appealing to a broad scientific audience. Composed in the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology™ series format, each chapter contains a brief introduction, step-by-step methods, a list of necessary materials, and a Notes section which shares tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls.

Comprehensive and cutting-edge, Macromolecular Drug Delivery offers a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration, which should provide opportunities for new discoveries at the interface between disciplines. Ultimately, this cooperation will lead to the use of macromolecular drugs as novel diagnostic tools and, even more importantly, as a means to revolutionize the way we view and treat diseases.

Provides cutting edge methods for in vitro and in vivo studies of nucleic acid based drugs Presents detailed protocols for preparation of non-viral drug delivery vehicles and artificial membrane models Includes a comprehensive description of retrieval of internalizing antibodies from phage display libraries Gives step-by-step methods for in vitro and in vivo studies of macromolecular delivery across biological barriers

Inhalt
Developments in Macromolecular Drug Delivery.- Synthetic vs. Natural/Biodegradable Polymers for Delivery of shRNA-Based Cancer Therapies.- siRNA and DNA Transfer to Cultured Cells.- Poly(?-amino esters): Procedures for Synthesis and Gene Delivery.- Systemic Delivery and Pre-clinical Evaluation of Nanoparticles Containing Antisense Oligonucleotides and siRNAs.- Peptide-Based Delivery of Steric-Block PNA Oligonucleotides.- Characterizing Peptide-Mediated DNA Internalization in Human Cancer Cells.- Selection and Characterization of Antibodies from Phage Display Libraries Against Internalizing Membrane Antigens.- Artificial Membrane Models for the Study of Macromolecular Delivery.- Enhanced Delivery of Macromolecules into Cells by Electroendocytosis.- In Vitro Systems for Studying Epithelial Transport of Macromolecules.- Preparation of Macromolecule-Containing Dry Powders for Pulmonary Delivery.- Macromolecular Delivery Across the BloodBrain Barrier.- Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Macromolecular Delivery In Vivo.