ABSTRACT
Nanotechnology deals with designing particles and devices, 1-100 nm in size, with unique characteristic features at the cellular, atomic, and molecular levels. The application of nanotechnology concepts for enhancing diagnostics, prophylaxis, and therapy has given rise to an emerging branch of science known as nanomedicine (Linkov, Satterstrom, & Corey, 2008). One of the major aims of nanomedicine is to devise therapeutically functional nanoparticles and nanodevices to probe inside the cellular organelles for diagnostic purposes as well as to deliver drugs at the desired site for targeted drug delivery. Thus nanostructures may facilitate the understanding of molecular level mechanisms involved
6.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 101 6.2 The Role of Nanotechnology in Drug Discovery and Development .................................... 102
6.2.1 Liposomes for Drug Delivery ................................................................................... 104 6.2.2 Nanocrystals for Drug Delivery ............................................................................... 105 6.2.3 Polymeric Nanoparticles ........................................................................................... 105 6.2.4 Solid Lipid Nanoparticles ......................................................................................... 106 6.2.5 Dendrimers ............................................................................................................... 106 6.2.6 Virosomes ................................................................................................................. 107 6.2.7 Carbon Nanostructures ............................................................................................. 107 6.2.8 Nanocantilevers ........................................................................................................ 108 6.2.9 Nanopores ................................................................................................................. 108 6.2.10 Quantum Dots ........................................................................................................... 108
6.3 Targeted Drug Delivery Using Nanotechnology .................................................................. 108 6.4 The Role of Genomics and Proteomics with Nanotechnology in Drug Discovery .............. 109 6.5 Nanotechnology in Cancer Diagnosis and Chemotherapy ................................................... 111 6.6 Current Trends of Nanotechnology in Therapeutics ............................................................ 111 6.7 Adverse Effects of Nanoparticles ......................................................................................... 113 6.8 Summary .............................................................................................................................. 113 6.9 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 114 References ...................................................................................................................................... 114
in both physiological and pathological processes (Teli, Mutalik, & Rajanikant, 2010). Moreover with the advent of nanodevices that can interact with DNA, RNA, proteins, and enzymes, the pathological changes can be detected at an early stage, leading to early intervention and cure of the disease.
