The field of drug delivery systems is witnessing significant advancements, particularly in the context of cancer treatment. Traditional chemotherapeutics, while potent, often suffer from nonspecific cytotoxicity, which can lead to reduced efficacy and adverse side effects. This has spurred interest in developing more targeted approaches, such as peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) and nanoparticle-based delivery systems. PDCs are emerging as a promising modality for targeted drug delivery, offering the potential to improve efficacy and minimize side effects by specifically targeting tumor cells while sparing healthy tissues. Recent studies have highlighted the potential of targeting cell surface receptors overexpressed on cancer cells using peptides, which can be conjugated with various cytotoxic agents, including NSAIDs, chemotherapeutic drugs, and antibiotics. Despite these advancements, there remains a need for further research to optimize these systems, address resistance mechanisms, and explore novel therapeutic pathways.

This Research Topic aims to explore the latest developments in drug delivery systems, focusing on the use of peptide-drug conjugates and nanoparticle-based approaches to enhance the specificity and efficacy of cancer treatments. The primary objectives include evaluating new target-specific peptide probes, understanding the mechanisms of resistance to first-line chemotherapeutics, and investigating the role of novel PDCs in treating high-grade neuroendocrine tumors and glioblastoma. By addressing these questions, the research seeks to drive the concept of PDCs as a viable and innovative therapeutic strategy.

To gather further insights in the realm of advanced drug delivery systems for cancer treatment, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• From histological evaluation to development stages of PDCs
• The role of novel designed PDCs in high-grade neuroendocrine tumors – preclinical and clinical studies
• The advance frontiers of radionuclide coupled PDCs for cancer treatment – especially for glioblastoma
• The development of novel PDCs incorporating first-line chemotherapeutics
• Understanding the resistance to first-line chemotherapeutics before and after conjugation with targeting peptides
• Synthetic lethality and role of cleavable linkers-chemistry in development of sustainable PDCs
• Harnessing proteases resistant linkers: from old promises to advance therapeutic horizons

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Frontiers in Medicine

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