ABSTRACT
There is considerable enthusiasm about the potential of nanotechnology to not only improve existing biomedical technologies but also enable entirely new strategies in healthcare. Although this enthusiasm should be balanced with an appreciation for the extended development time and high failure rate for innovative technologies and a recognition that medical nanotechnology or nanomedicine is not yet established in routine clinical practice,1,2 high-performance nanotechnology-based medical technologies are beginning to translate into clinical use.3 Recent advances include U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance to market a gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-based nucleic acid test,4 which is used to identify bacteria linked to bloodstream infections and to detect genes conferring antibiotic resistance,5 and the release of phase I clinical trial results indicating safe, targeted delivery of siRNA6,7 and docetaxel8 to cancer cells through the systemic administration of lipid or polymeric nanoparticles. Although designed only to evaluate safety, these trial results also showed the mechanism of action and therapeutic efcacy of a systematically delivered RNAi nanomedicine and improved therapeutic
1.1 Promise of Nanomedicine ................................................................................3 1.2 Considerations for In Vivo Use of Nanomaterials ............................................6
