Advances and Challenges in Nanomedicine

Book excerpt: Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that is revolutionizing the way we detect and treat damage to the human body. Nanomedicine applies nanotechnology to highly specific medical interventions for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. They are increasingly being used to overcome biological barriers in the body to improve the way we deliver compounds to specific tissues and organs. In particular, nanomedicines have been shown to be beneficial for stabilizing therapeutic compounds, overcoming obstacles to cellular and tissue uptake, and improving biodistribution of compounds to target sites in vivo. Nanomedicines have demonstrated significant therapeutic advantages for a multitude of biomedical applications, however the clinical translation of these nanotechnology platforms has not progressed as quickly as the plethora of positive results would have suggested. Understanding the advances in nanomedicine to date and the challenges that still need to be overcome, will allow future research to improve on existing platforms and to address the current translational and regulatory limitations. This eBook “Advances and Challenges in Nanomedicine” has brought together experts in the fields of nanomedicine, nanotechnology, nanotoxicology, pharmaceutics, manufacturing, and translation to discuss the application of nanotechnology to drug delivery. This information is presented as original research, opinion, perspective, and review articles. The goal of this eBook is to generate collaborative discussion on the current status, general trends, challenges, strategies, and future direction of pharmaceutical nanotechnology, as well as highlight current and emerging nanoparticulate platforms with potential medical applications.