ABSTRACT
The advancement in science and technology, especially since 1970, has propelled extensive research in the biomedical eld. This research is aimed at discovering effective medicines to prevent disease, promote health, and relieve pain and suffering. After an appropriate drug is identi ed, determining the method to deliver and release it into the body is as crucial as the therapeutic activity of the drug itself. Controlling the delivery of the drug is a challenging yet essential task in many situations such as the slow release of water-soluble agents, fast release of poor water-soluble agents, localized drug delivery, targeted drug delivery directed at the speci c cell tissue or site, coordinated delivery of multiple drugs, and systems based on carriers with a short life time. A drug delivery method that involves a controllable transport path and release rate and is self-regulated and self-reporting is often desirable.1 This chapter introduces the common biomaterials for controlled drug delivery and then focuses on nanostructured porous materials such as silicon-based photonic and templated materials as examples.
