Multifunctional core-shell mesoporous silica nanoparticles for lung cancer therapy

This thesis demonstrates effective strategies for accommodating dual drugs and various functionalities in MSN for the treatment of NSCLC or even other cancers. It proposed a novel method for the synthesis of core-shell MSN with tunable porosity, small size, and optimal textural properties. It also demonstrated how these properties can be utilised for loading combinations of different drugs, imaging and targeting agents and controlling their release. While the present study establishes that such novel systems can be used as an effective drug delivery system for lung cancer treatment, the generic nature of this system will pave the way for their use in the treatment of multiple cancers by combining various therapies and adding stimuli responsiveness to the system. Indeed, the single-step synthesis of core-shell MSN introduced in this thesis can be used as a platform to research various surfactants for stretching the limits of the textural properties of porous core-shell MSN nanoparticles to create an effective drug delivery system.