Nanotechnology for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Diseases

Abstract

This special issue of Nanomedicine was compiled after the 3rd International Conference on Nanotechnology in Medicine, held in Manchester, UK, in November 2015. It brought together international scientists and clinicians from multidisciplinary backgrounds and specialities to share a common interest in pushing the boundaries of our current understanding of the field of nanomedicine. This special issue focuses on key areas in the application of nanotechnology, with the aim of highlighting recent advances and developments to realize the full potential of nanomedicine.\ud \ud Targeted drug delivery is a key application of nanotechnology in medicine that has gained a plethora of interest. While Feczko and colleagues illustrate the potential use of IFN-α drug-loaded nanocomposites as a potential tool for intravenous controlled release drug delivery [1], Quignard and colleagues formulated nanometric oil droplets for encapsulating solid nanoparticles as a way of modulating their internalization pathway and enhance intracellular delivery [2]. An important advancement in the area of drug delivery is the use of triggered response nanoparticulate systems. These include the use of a bioinspired mineralization process and superparamagnetic hybrid nanobeads. The work by Campodoni and colleagues provides a good example of performing such magnetic functionality [3]. They synthesized superparamagnetic hybrid nanobead hydroxyapatite composite material as a drug carrier system, with the ability of remote activation by a magnetic signal. This unique multifunctional drug delivery system is bioresorbable and biocompatible, holding promise for smart applications in nanomedicine, including active targeting and therapeutic purposes. An emergent technology in inhalation therapy is the use of targeted liposomes which has the potential of improving pulmonary delivery of drugs such as corticosteroids for patients with chronic asthma. Altube and colleagues synthesized pH-sensitive archeosomes which are lipid vesicles extracted from archaebacterial that have the property of resistance to lipolytic enzymes [4]. These were loaded with dexamethasone as a model drug. The resultant nanoliposomes exhibited new pharmacodynamic properties with increased mechanical properties during nebulization, highlighting the potential of this novel concept.\ud \ud Another key application of nanotechnology in medicine, enabled by advances in targeted drug delivery, is in therapeutics, in particular, cancer therapy. The review article by Karponis and colleagues illustrates the theranostic properties of magnetic nanoparticles as a promising candidate for the targeting and treatment of cancer [5]. This work was presented as a keynote lecture at the conference. Other nanoparticles, in particular, gold nanoparticles, also show significant potential as theranostic agents which integrate both diagnostic and therapeutic properties. Butterworth and colleagues illustrate clearly this concept in the simultaneous diagnosis and therapy of prostate cancer [6]. Using thiol stabiliz...

Exploring cellular uptake of iron oxide nanoparticles associated with rhodium citrate in breast cancer cells

“…Over the years, the nanotechnology field has emerged as a promising approach for the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic applications. 1 The scale of the nanomaterials allows better access to biological sites. [2][3][4] Among other applications, cancer-cell targeting would benefit greatly from highly specific and localized drug delivery.…”

Welcome to Volume 12 of Nanomedicine

“…• Issues 09 and 12: 'Nanobiomaterials at work: revolutionizing healthcare' [1,2] • Issue 16: 'Nanotechnology for the diagnosis & treatment of diseases' [3] • Issue 20: 'Nanoparticles & the immune system: challenges & opportunities' [4] • Issue 21: 'Exploitation of functional nanomaterials in therapy and diagnostics' [5] Special Focus issues are a great way of showcasing the latest research in a specific subfield or concept in nanomedicine. By having an entire journal issue dedicated to a topic, each article can focus on one aspect in detail, contributing to the bigger picture when they are all compiled together.…”

Parkinson’s Disease: A Nanotheranostic Approach Targeting Alpha-Synuclein Aggregation

“…The emergence of nanotechnology and their rapid advancement in the last decade has offered revolutionary strategies for the diagnoses and therapies of various diseases ( Azzawi et al, 2016 ; Padmanabhan et al, 2020 ). Nanoparticles (NPs) are defined as a natural or manufactured material comprising unbound or aggregated particles within the nano-size range of 1–100 nm ( Soares et al, 2018 ).…”