Inorganic nanoparticles for biomedicine: where materials scientists meet medical research

Abstract

Materials scientists have performed exceptional accomplishments in the design of various types of materials that can be directly used for biomedical research. In particular, nanomaterials (including plasmonic nanoparticles) have become forefront scaffolds for designing bioactive materials. The application of such materials in biomedicine however requires a directed design providing actuation and stability in a particularly complex environment such as living organisms. Enhanced diagnostic tools for diseases such as cancer and HIV are pursued, and in this context nanoparticles offer exclusive physicochemical features for accurate biosensing, as well as actuation. We discuss the biosensing capabilities of plasmonic nanoparticles, in connection with SERS imaging. Novel therapies based on local drug delivery and photothermal therapy activated by nanoparticles are being explored. These applications are briefly discussed in this article, considering the actual biological problems faced by materials scientists and highlighting the beneficial interactions between materials science and biomedicine, which lead to novel routes in biomedical research and practice.

Study of Gallium Oxide Nanoparticles Conjugated with β-Cyclodextrin: An Application To Combat Cancer

“…The width β P is measured in radians as full width at half of the maximum intensity(FWHM). D hkl = Kλ/β P cosθ …………… (1) where, D hkl is the average grain size, K the shape factor (taken as 0.9), λ is the X-ray wavelength, (here 110 peak of the GaO(OH) spectrum was fitted with a Gaussian, for precision measurement) and the Bragg angle has been 21.485 0 .…”

Taylor dispersion of nanoparticles

“…Lately TDA analysis has been used to characterize moderately polydisperse polymers and their mixtures (Cipelletti et al 2014;Biron et al 2014;Cipelletti et al 2015;Biron et al 2015). Particles-and especially inorganic NPs-are nonetheless quite different from small molecules, proteins, and polymers in several aspects, which actually renders them to be a quite remarkable class of materials (Giner-Casares et al 2016;Henriksen-Lacey et al 2016). First, unlike molecules and proteins, NPs are never truly uniform in shape or monodisperse in size.…”

Ion-Mediated Aggregation of Gold Nanoparticles for Light-Induced Heating

“…Inorganic nanoparticles have opened new avenues of research in biomedicine, where a novel paradigm in therapy and diagnostics in the clinical practice is arising [1]. Plasmonic nanoparticles typically composed of gold or silver appear as a highly promising building blocks due to their photothermal features, among other functionalities.…”