Image-Guided Drug Delivery | IGDD Study Group

Group News

The Group: Scope & Relevance

Imaging can be used to support and improve various different aspects of drug delivery and drug therapy. It can e.g. be employed to visualize and quantify the biodistribution and target site accumulation of drugs and drug delivery systems, and to non-invasively assess their efficacy. In addition, molecular imaging techniques can be used to assess drug delivery across biological barriers (by monitoring its temporal and spatial parameters), and to evaluate strategies that aim to improve this process. Furthermore, image-guidance is highly useful for triggering and quantifying drug release from stimuli-responsive carrier materials, such temperature-sensitive liposomes and ultrasound-responsive microbubbles. Finally, by rationally combining drug targeting and imaging, patients can be pre-selected, and treatment protocols can be individualized and optimized, thereby paving the way for personalized (nano-) medicine. 

The group promotes the IGDD field & strengthens links to related communities by:

• offering a platform for knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary discussion
• establishing contacts with sister societies, such as the Controlled Release Society – CRS or the European Society for Controlled Drug Delivery – ESCDD
• establishing links to European scientific communities
• organising lectures, sessions, and workshops to raise awareness and promote knowledge exchange
• fostering the dialogue with small, medium-sized and large pharma and contrast agent companies

The IGDD field includes, but is not limited to:

• Targeted drug delivery
• Triggered drug release (endogenous and exogenous stimuli)
• Biodistribution, drug release and drug efficacy monitoring
• Imaging and overcoming biological barriers (BBB, cellular membranes, etc)
• Trans-catheter delivery devices for local antitumor treatment (TACE and SIRT)
• Radio-immunotherapy
• Nucleic acid-based and cellular therapies
• Photo-activatable systems and strategies

Group Review Article

Imaging Nanomedicine-Based Drug Delivery: a Review of Clinical Studies
Man, F., Lammers, T., T. M. de Rosales, R.

Founding members

• Silvio Aime – Torino
• Clemens Bos – Utrecht
• Holger Gruell – Cologne
• Fabian Kiessling – Aachen
• Chrit Moonen – Utrecht
• Enzo Terreno – Torino
• Twan Lammers – Aachen
• Rafael T.M. Rosales – London

Group Leadership

• Chair: Alexandros Sofias, Aachen
• Co-Chair: Willemien Menke – van der Houven van Oordt, Amsterdam
• Trainee Representative: Peter Gawne, London