Dendritic Nanoparticles: The next generation of nanocarriers?

Dendritic polymers have attracted a great deal of scientific interests due to their well-defined unique structure and capability to be multifunctionalized. Here we present a comprehensive overview of various dendrimer-based nanoparticles that are currently being investigated for drug delivery and diagnostics applications. Through a critical review of the old and new dendritic designs, we highlight the advantages and disadvantages of these systems and their structure- biological property relationships. This paper also focuses on the major challenges facing the clinical translation of these nanodevices, and how these challenges are being (or should be) addressed, which will greatly benefit the overall progress of dendrimer-based technologies for theranostics.