Nanoworms and rods are the most effective drug delivery vessels so far

Nanoparticles come in many shapes and sizes, including spheres, chains, reefs, and boxes, and more. When it comes to drug delivery, however, rods and worms are the most effective forms, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

Though the field of medical nanotech is still in its infancy, nanoparticles are already being used by doctors to overcome biological barriers, navigate cellular environments, and deliver anticancer drugs and vaccines deep into our bodies.

“There is so much work on how to modulate nanoparticle size, shape, and surface chemistry, and the impact this has on overall drug delivery efficacy, that is starting to look really promising,” Dr. Justin Gooding, University of New South Wales (UNSW) researcher and co-author of the study, told Digital Trends. “People are beginning to work out the design rules for these particles but we realized there weren’t any tools to quantify why and how certain nanoparticle properties target their cargo to certain cell types or organelles.”