Advances in Drug Testing and Drug Delivery Systems

In the past century, numerous drugs have been developed and have helped us to get rid of various diseases. By the mature development of micro/nano technologies, precise, predictable, and well-controlled instruments and tools for drug testing and delivery have been suggested. Efficient drug development and effective drug delivery can benefit the quality of human lives. This book presents advances in drug testing and drug delivery. It covers a board spectrum of topics and state of the art research in this field. As such, the book is divided into three parts, comprised of nine chapters. The first part (Chapter One) introduces recent developments of drug testing technologies targeting for subjects who suffer from drug abuse and addiction. Specimens of oral fluid and hair are the focuses of this discussion. The second part (Chapters Four through Six ) includes the advanced technologies for drug testing. In the development of a new drug, the process is lengthy and costly. There are a large amount of drug tests on living cell culture involved. Therefore, in order to decrease the development time and increase the prediction precision of the drug effectiveness, advanced technologies of 3D cell culture and microfluidics for drug testing are introduced. The third part (Chapters Seven to Nine) presents the novel drug delivery systems. Compared to conventional oral and parenteral administration, microneedle patches and polymer delivery carriers are novel drug delivery approaches. In-depth discussions of different delivery systems are included to achieve promising therapeutic effects. These novel and ongoing techniques provide new insights and possibilities for drug testing and drug delivery. The reader will gain a unique perspective on the challenges and emerging opportunities in this exciting field.