Review Article on Smart Polymers in Novel Drug Delivery: Bridging the Gap Between Conventional Therapy and Precision Medicine

  • Unique Paper ID: 198196
  • Volume: 12
  • Issue: 11
  • PageNo: 9650-9658
  • Abstract:
  • In the world of pharmaceutical science, we are moving away from seeing polymers as simple "wrappers" for medicine. Instead, we are looking to nature for inspiration to create "smart" polymers materials that can actually sense and adapt to their surroundings much like a living organism. These intelligent materials don't just sit there; they react to tiny changes in their environment, such as a shift in pH, a rise in temperature, or the presence of a specific enzyme. When they feel these triggers, they undergo dramatic physical changes swelling, shrinking, or breaking apart to release their medicinal cargo exactly where and when it’s needed. This review dives into how these responsive systems are solving some of medicine's toughest hurdles. From breaking through the protective barriers of the eye to ensuring that gene therapies reach their target without being lost in the bloodstream, smart polymers are bridging the gap between "standard" care and precision medicine. We explore the mechanics behind these materials, their growing roles in tissue engineering and biosensors, and how they make life easier for patients by reducing side effects and dosage frequency. Finally, we look ahead at the challenges still standing in the way of making these "intelligent" materials a standard in global healthcare.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{198196,
        author = {Gaurav Bhujangrao Jadhao and Pooja Gajanan Sirsat and Pratiksha Vijaykumar Thorve and Pankaj Gajanan Navghare},
        title = {Review Article on Smart Polymers in Novel Drug Delivery: Bridging the Gap Between Conventional Therapy and Precision Medicine},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {11},
        pages = {9650-9658},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=198196},
        abstract = {In the world of pharmaceutical science, we are moving away from seeing polymers as simple "wrappers" for medicine. Instead, we are looking to nature for inspiration to create "smart" polymers materials that can actually sense and adapt to their surroundings much like a living organism. These intelligent materials don't just sit there; they react to tiny changes in their environment, such as a shift in pH, a rise in temperature, or the presence of a specific enzyme. When they feel these triggers, they undergo dramatic physical changes swelling, shrinking, or breaking apart to release their medicinal cargo exactly where and when it’s needed. This review dives into how these responsive systems are solving some of medicine's toughest hurdles. From breaking through the protective barriers of the eye to ensuring that gene therapies reach their target without being lost in the bloodstream, smart polymers are bridging the gap between "standard" care and precision medicine. We explore the mechanics behind these materials, their growing roles in tissue engineering and biosensors, and how they make life easier for patients by reducing side effects and dosage frequency. Finally, we look ahead at the challenges still standing in the way of making these "intelligent" materials a standard in global healthcare.},
        keywords = {Smart Polymers, Stimuli-Responsive Materials, Precision Drug Delivery, Ocular Health, Bio-Mimicry, Gene Therapy, Patient Compliance, Biodegradable Systems},
        month = {April},
        }

Cite This Article

Jadhao, G. B., & Sirsat, P. G., & Thorve, P. V., & Navghare, P. G. (2026). Review Article on Smart Polymers in Novel Drug Delivery: Bridging the Gap Between Conventional Therapy and Precision Medicine. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology (IJIRT), 12(11), 9650–9658.

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