Nanomedicine and nano delivery systems are a relatively new but rapidly developing science where materials in the nanoscale range are employed to serve as means of diagnostic tools or to deliver therapeutic agents to specific targeted sites in a controlled manner.
Ideally, nanoparticulate drug delivery system should selectively accumulate in the required organ or tissue and at the same time, penetrate target cells to deliver the bioactive agent.
This chapter examines the application of nanotechnology in medicine, known as nanomedicine, with a focus on the therapeutic application of nanomedicine. The different types of nanomaterials used in nanomedicine will be categorized based on their composition into three categories: solid drug nanoparticles, polymer therapeutics, and nanocarriers.
In terms of drug discovery and development, the role of nanotechnology currently lies in improving diagnostic methods, developing improved drug formulations and drug delivery systems for disease therapy.
Professor Doug Brooks and his team have identified a protein called NOX2 oxidase, which is responsible for making reactive oxygen species within cells and this is activated by viruses, including influenza and the rhinovirus, also known as the common cold. They have also identified a new prototype drug that could potentially treat these devastating viral diseases.
Metabesity 2019: Novel therapies that are increasing our understanding of disease and leading to changes in drug development Featuring Stephen Gough, MD, FRCP, SVP Global Chief Medical Officer of Novo Nordisk, Denmark.
What truly novel therapies in the earliest stages of discovery and development do you believe will have a significant impact in the future?
What is Nanotechnology and What Can It Do?
Research advances have enabled the application of nanotechnology to drug delivery. What does this technology offer in the way of enhancing therapeutic effect?
If your drug use consists of an occasional aspirin, you may not see the need for serious work on drug delivery. But if you were diabetic, having to inject insulin several times a day, or a cancer patient experiencing debilitating side effects from your treatment, the benefits of improved drug delivery could change your life.