The CRS Italy Local Chapter was established in 2007 with the objective of bringing together scientists and industrial professionals with a common interest in advancing the science of delivery and controlled release of active substances. Since then, the CRS Italy Local Chapter has built a network of scientists from different Italian universities, research centers, and pharmaceutical and biotechnological Industries focused on the development of novel therapeutic strategies for a variety of medical conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular and neurological disorders, chronic inflammatory diseases, and innovative biotechnological products for the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, veterinary, agricultural, and food industry.

Encouraging the continuous participation of junior members, fostering research collaborations among academic and industrial members, and facilitating the interaction with other local chapters are key features of the CRS Italy Local Chapter and have all contributed to develop over the years a truly interdisciplinary network of scientists with a vivid interest in clinical translation. Today, the CRS Italy Local Chapter involves over 200 junior and senior members with expertise in drug delivery, pharmaceutical technology, pharmacy, biotechnology, medicinal chemistry, bioengineering, and biomedical sciences.

This special issue includes 15 contributions involving over 50 members of the CRS Italy Local Chapter, affiliated with different Italian Universities and Research Centers, from Turin to Cosenza and Catania, from Trieste to Palermo, from Bari to Rome and Cagliari, and from Milan to Bologna and Genova, and documenting a broad variety of drug delivery technologies (from nanogels to microparticles and from nanobubbles to nanomicelles), materials (from natural to synthetic polymers and from lipids to inorganic compounds), medical applications (from neurological disorders to infection diseases and from cholangiopathies to cancer immunotherapies), and investigative methodologies (from in silico to in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo).

As anticipated in this special issue, different groups of the CRS Italy Local Chapter will dedicate more efforts to engineer novel nano-based therapies for the combined delivery of anti-cancer cytotoxic drugs and immunomodulatory agents; reformulate potent and effective small molecules and inhibitors into nanoparticles to boost their therapeutic indexes; and develop new protocols for nanoparticle synthesis and fabrication with lower impact on the environment.

We sincerely hope that this special issue could strengthen ongoing activities and stimulate new research collaborations across different CRS Local Chapters. We are grateful to the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Office of Drug Delivery and Translational Research for the opportunity.