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A bioresponsive polymeric nanocarrier for drug delivery is able to alter its physical and physicochemical properties in response to a variety of biological signals and pathological changes, and can exert its therapeutic efficacy within a confined space. These nanosystems can optimize the biodistribution and subcellular location of therapeutics by exploiting the differences in biochemical properties between tumors and normal tissues. Moreover, bioresponsive polymer-based nanosystems could be rationally designed as precision therapeutic platforms by optimizing the combination of responsive elements and therapeutic components according to the patient-specific disease type and stage. In this review, recent advances in smart bioresponsive polymeric nanosystems for cancer chemotherapy and immunotherapy will be summarized. We mainly discuss three categories, including acidity-sensitive, redox-responsive, and enzyme-triggered polymeric nanosystems. The important issues regarding clinical translation such as reproducibility, manufacture, and probable toxicity, are also commented.

Publication history
Copyright
Acknowledgements

Publication history

Received: 14 July 2022
Revised: 31 August 2022
Accepted: 01 September 2022
Published: 15 November 2022
Issue date: February 2023

Copyright

© Tsinghua University Press 2022

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the support from the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2021YFA0909900), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52173142), Zhejiang Provincial Program for the Cultivation of High-Level Innovative Health Talents, and the grants from the Startup Package of Zhejiang University.

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