| Summary: | 2. Summary of the PhD. Thesis Introduction The use of synthetic polymer carriers of anticancer drugs represents a promising approach to cancer therapy. Conjugation of cýotoxic drugs with polymers may reduce their toxicity and immunogenicity, eliminate undesirable body interactions, improve their solubility, bioavailability and stability (enzymatic. thermal, etc.), and prolong blood clearance' Moreover, polStmer drug carriers may enable specific delivery to the diseased tissue and controlled drug release in therapeutically active form. Since the first papers were published in the late 1970's the concept of polymer drug carrier systems has been generally accepted. In principle basic water-soluble poll,tner drug delivery systems consist of three parts: of polymer carrier, biodegradable spacer and drug. Preferably, drugs are covalently bound to the pol}mers via spacers, which enable controlled release of active drug in the target tissue or cells. Probably, most of the studied polymer carriers of cancerostatic drugs have been designed as lysosomotropic systems, where the drug could be released by enzymes rn lysosomes of tumour cells. In recent years pH-triggered hydrolytic drug release has been intensively studied. Here, the presence of enzynes is not essential, as the drug might be released in endosomes in...
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