ABSTRACT
IntroductionAhead of the 4th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Nanomedicine held in 2014, this collection of interviews brought together experts from the fields of nanomedicine and HIV/AIDS treatment. Dr. André Nel gave a general introduction and update on the nanomedicine field and how he hoped it will progress. Dr. Susan Swindells described the current challenges faced in the clinic for HIV/AIDS treatment. Dr. Tatiana Bronich explained the research efforts being undertaken by the nanomedicine community for the treatment of microbial infections and HIV/AIDS specifically. Finally, Dr. Howard Gendelman looked to the future and assesses the potential and challenges of nanomedicine approaches for HIV eradication. Dr. André Nel (UCLA, CA, USA)
• What are the most promising nanomedicine approaches to traditional disease therapies that are currently being developed? The biggest promise in diagnostics is the development of highly sensitive biomarkers of disease at the femtomol and attomol detection levels, with the additional ability to miniaturize the instrumentation to provide lab-on-chip approaches that will
begin to replace methods such as PCR or ELISA. Multiplexing portable devices that can give instantaneous readouts of biomarkers of disease at the bedside or in the home is emerging for monitoring disease and point-of-care diagnostics. There has been a consistent improvement of nanocarriers that deliver drugs, including those designed to treat cancer. While we are observing that polymers and polymeric micelles are taking their place alongside liposomes, we are also starting to see the emergence of multifunctional nanocarriers of inorganic or hybrid composition. It is also becoming clear that high-through-put methods to elucidate the interaction of nanoparticles and nanocarriers with various nano-bio interfaces can be used to speed up the rate of discovery and provide design principles for making new pharmaceuticals. Nanotechnology is also being widely applied for antibacterial effects in the hospital environment and is also poised to make an impact on the treatment of infectious disease. Utilizing the unique capabilities of nanomaterials to provide antigen delivery, adjuvant effects and immune modulation, we are also beginning to observe the impact of nanotechnology on vaccine development.
