ABSTRACT
Advances in the development of nanoscale technologies are beginning to have broader impacts on the understanding, treatment, and prevention of disease through applications that the National Institutes of Health collectively refer to as “nanomedicine” (Moghimi et al. 2005). is nascent eld encompasses a vast array of disparate technologies with potential biomedical applications. Some examples of the variety of technologies being studied include functionalized carbon nanotubes, nanofabricated silicon-based sensing devices and DNA nanomachines. In all of these endeavors, researchers are searching for new ways to use nanotechnology to improve health. At the forefront of nanomedicine is a subdivision focused on the rational delivery and targeting of therapeutic or diagnostic compounds via nanoscale particulates, that is, “nanoparticles.” e subcellular and nanoscale size ranges of these systems allow for designed escape through fenestrations in epithelial linings, deep penetration into tissues, and e cient uptake by target cells and tissues for the improved delivery of therapeutic or diagnostic compounds (Moghimi et al. 2001, Soppimath et al. 2001, Brannon-Peppas and Blanchette 2004).
