ABSTRACT
The application of nanotechnology to diagnosing and treating blood diseases represents an exciting and rapidly growing area. Some technologies are already quite mature; the use of nanofi ltration to remove viruses from blood products is now well established, providing a critical technology to ensure the safety of patients who need to receive blood proteins for clotting disorders. A number of nanoparticle therapeutics have reached clinical application for hematological cancers such as leukemias and are being tested in clinical trials to determine effi cacy. Other technologies, such as the use of synthetic platelets as a hemostatic agent for treating trauma patients, are earlier in their developmental cycle, but show great promise for eventual clinical application. The goal of this chapter is to give an overview of this spectrum of nanomedicine as it is being applied to blood diseases, from very early-stage technologies to those already being applied for human use.
