Effects of Shape, Rigidity, Size, and Flow on Targeting

Particulate drug carriers remain promising for application in disease treatment. The design of these carrier systems for efficient drug delivery hinges on the understanding of their interactions with the different components encountered once they enter into the circulation, including blood cells, plasma, the vascular wall, and various organs. Accordingly, many studies have focused on the investigation of these interactions for different types of drug carrier systems. In this chapter, we discuss how the interplay of the design parameters such as size, shape, and rigidity, and blood hemodynamics influence the behavior of the particles in the body.