Drug delivery systems are developed to maximize drug efficacy and minimize side effects. As drug delivery technologies improve, the drug becomes safer and more comfortable for patients to use. During the last seven decades, extraordinary progress has been made in drug delivery technologies, such as systems for long-term delivery for months and years, localized delivery, and targeted delivery. The advances, however, will face a next phase considering the future technologies we need to overcome many physicochemical barriers for new formulation development and biological unknowns for treating various diseases.

For immediate and long-term progress into the future, the drug delivery field should use time and resources for more translatable research ideas. The drug delivery discipline has to continue working on basic, applied, translational, and clinical research in a concerted manner to produce drug delivery systems that work for patients. It is a time to focus our attention on things that matter. It is also a time to develop realistic research goals and outcomes, diversify drug delivery technologies, and take the collective responsibility for our actions.

药物输送系统的开发是为了最大限度地提高药物疗效并最大限度地减少副作用。随着药物输送技术的进步，药物变得更安全、患者使用起来更舒适。在过去的七十年中，药物输送技术取得了非凡的进步，例如数月和数年的长期输送系统、局部输送和靶向输送。然而，考虑到我们需要克服新制剂开发的许多物理化学障碍和治疗各种疾病的生物学未知的未来技术，这些进展将面临下一阶段。

为了在未来取得近期和长期的进展，药物输送领域应该将时间和资源用于更具可转化性的研究想法。药物输送学科必须继续以协调一致的方式开展基础、应用、转化和临床研究，以生产出适合患者的药物输送系统。现在是时候将我们的注意力集中在重要的事情上。这也是制定切合实际的研究目标和成果、实现药物输送技术多样化并对我们的行动承担集体责任的时候。