The 'direct loading' method was used to uniformly distribute and load the drug within the DPN polymeric matrix. Specifically, a 5 µl homogenous drug/polymer solution was uniformly spread using a blade over the surface of a 3×3 cm PVA template, containing about 10 8 wells. The amount of drug loaded within DPN was calculated using a HPLC and reading the characteristic docetaxel UV absorbance at 230 nm (Agilent 1260 Infinity, Germany). Samples for HPLC analysis were prepared by spinning down DPN at 12,700 RPM for 20 min, drying the pellet overnight, and dissolving the particles upon incubation with acetonitrile (ACN).