The review article presents various chitosan-based platforms for drug delivery. In particular, systems for cancer treatment and for the delivery of growth factors that promote tissue regeneration.

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are a global health burden. They include a wide range of diseases, from common colds to severe pneumonia. A novel chitosan containing microparticle was developed as a potential drug carrier system for the treatment of RTIs.

The development of safe and effective vaccines is a major challenge. In addition to generating an adequate immune response, vaccines must also remain stable over time – both inside and outside the body. In their review article, Masimov and Wasan present various applications of chitosan and chitosan derivatives as adjuvants in the development of particulate and non-particulate vaccines.

After already high numbers in 2023, 4025 articles dealing with chitosan were published in 2024. That is 616 more than in the previous year. This development shows that chitosan, as a versatile biopolymer, is attracting more and more attention from researchers worldwide. Of the 4025 search results on PubMed, 247 were reviews. Thematically, the reviews dealt with the diverse application possibilities of chitosan.