Nanoparticles hybridization to engineer biomaterials for drug delivery

Nanomaterials in drug delivery have a long history of engineering attempts to add therapeutic value. Generally, an efficient drug delivery system must possess several properties at the same time. For instance, a desired therapeutic nanomaterial may possess biodegradability, nontoxicity, controlled-release, targeting capability, and imaging modality. However, no single material has all of these characteristics at the same time. In this respect, attempts have been devoted to combine multiple components in a single hybrid nanomaterial. With this approach a multicomponent nanomaterials could be specifically engineered in order for each component to play its specific role in a favorable spatiotemporal setting. Here, we introduce different methods of nanoscale hybridization, and we discuss the advantages and pitfalls of each method in the context of drug delivery. Advancement of this area could be the key to enhance the clinical outcomes of nanomaterials based drug delivery systems, and also paves the way for personalized medicine.