Designing sub-20 nm self-assembled nanocarriers for small molecule delivery: Interplay among structural geometry, assembly energetics, and cargo release kinetics

Biological constraints in diseased tissues have motivated the need for small nanocarriers (10–30 nm) to achieve sufficient vascular extravasation and pervasive tumor penetration. This particle size limit is only an order of magnitude larger than small molecules, such that cargo loading is better described by co-assembly processes rather than simple encapsulation. Understanding the structural, kinetic, and energetic contributions of carrier-cargo...