The exploration and utilization of nanocarriers for the delivery of therapeutics in vivo has led to dramatic improvements in the efficacy of various therapies. Over the past few years intense research has been devoted to the development of novel platforms for drug delivery. This has led to the creation of novel drug delivery vehicles such as polymeric nanoparticles, micelles, immunoconjugates, dendrimers and liposomes. Unfortunately, the success of these nanocarriers in the clinic has been limited. One underlying reason for the delayed development is that none of these approaches offers the ability to comprehensively, simultaneously, and independently address several different design criteria when fabricating the particle itself.

The ability to meet such demanding parameters is critical to the design of effective delivery vectors. Recent breakthroughs in the nanofabrication of polymeric particles have paved the way for the development of an effective platform delivery system for use in nanomedicine. This novel platform, called PRINT (Particle Replication In Non-wetting Templates), is based on the exploitation of low surface energy perfluoropolyether molds. The resulting elastomeric solids enable high-resolution imprint lithography, an emerging technique from the microelectronics industry, to fabricate a variety of organic particles. PRINT enables the simultaneous and independent control over particle size, shape, composition, deformability, and surface functionality, and permits the loading of delicate cargos such as small organic therapeutics and biological macromolecules. Thus, this single tool serves as a comprehensive device for the rational design and investigation of new nanocarriers in medicine, having applications ranging from therapeutics to advanced diagnostics.

Using PRINT, truly monodisperse shape- and size-specific particles have been fabricated. These particles were prepared from a degradable matrix and possess a chemotherapeutic as the cargo. Their degradation profile and efficiency in vitro will be discussed.