Towards intelligent and miniaturized drug delivery devices

Xinwei Wei; John B Buse; Hongming Chen; Tejal A Desai; Molly M Stevens; Giovanni Traverso; Robert Langer; Zhen Gu

doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10221-3

Towards intelligent and miniaturized drug delivery devices

Nature. 2026 Mar;651(8107):897-908. doi: 10.1038/s41586-026-10221-3. Epub 2026 Mar 25.

Authors

Xinwei Wei^{1

2

3

4}, John B Buse⁵, Hongming Chen^{1

6}, Tejal A Desai^{7

8}, Molly M Stevens⁹, Giovanni Traverso^{10

11

12

13}, Robert Langer^{14

15}, Zhen Gu^{16

17

18

19

20

21

22}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery and Release Systems, School of Pharmacy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
² Jinhua Institute of Zhejiang University, Jinhua, China.
³ Liangzhu Laboratory, Hangzhou, China.
⁴ Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.
⁵ Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
⁶ Metis Therapeutics, Cambridge, MA, USA.
⁷ School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
⁸ Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁹ Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, Department of Engineering Science and Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
¹⁰ Division of Gastroenterology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
¹¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
¹² David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
¹³ Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA.
¹⁴ Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
¹⁵ Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
¹⁶ State Key Laboratory of Advanced Drug Delivery and Release Systems, School of Pharmacy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. guzhen@zju.edu.cn.
¹⁷ Jinhua Institute of Zhejiang University, Jinhua, China. guzhen@zju.edu.cn.
¹⁸ Liangzhu Laboratory, Hangzhou, China. guzhen@zju.edu.cn.
¹⁹ Department of General Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. guzhen@zju.edu.cn.
²⁰ Institute of Fundamental and Transdisciplinary Research, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. guzhen@zju.edu.cn.
²¹ MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecule Synthesis and Functionalization of Ministry of Education, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. guzhen@zju.edu.cn.
²² Engineering Research Center of Innovative Anticancer Drugs, Ministry of Education, Hangzhou, China. guzhen@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 41882132
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10221-3

Abstract

Advances at the intersection of biotechnology, artificial intelligence, electronics and materials science are reshaping how drugs can be delivered inside the body. Intelligent and miniaturized drug delivery devices (IMDDDs) leverage these technologies to achieve precise pharmacokinetics, targeted distribution and programmable release while minimizing toxicity and improving patient adherence. Unlike conventional approaches, IMDDDs can incorporate real-time sensing and adaptive control, enabling drug administration that is more precise and more responsive to dynamic physiological conditions. In this Review, we outline key categories and design principles, highlight artificial intelligence technologies for augmenting performance, discuss potential clinical applications across cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, vaccination and beyond, and examine translation challenges and opportunities. By uniting engineering innovation with medical need, IMDDDs exemplify the next generation of drug delivery technologies.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Artificial Intelligence
Cardiovascular Diseases / drug therapy
Drug Delivery Systems* / instrumentation
Drug Delivery Systems* / methods
Drug Delivery Systems* / trends
Humans
Miniaturization* / instrumentation
Neoplasms / drug therapy