Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine

Nanoparticles and Nanomedicine

Nanomedicine is a branch of medicine that applies the knowledge and tools of nanotechnology in the prevention and treatment of diseases. Nanomedicine involves the use of nanoscale materials, such as biocompatible nanoparticles and Nano robots, for diagnosis, delivery, sensing or actuation purposes in a living organism. Nanoparticles with ~100 nanometers have been widely used to improve the drug accumulation, internalization and therapeutic efficacy. The physicochemical and biological properties of the Nanoparticles can also be finely adjusted by tailoring their chemical properties, sizes, shapes, structures, morphologies, and surface properties. Nanomedicine is the medical application of Nanotechnology. Nanotechnology has provided the possibility of delivering drugs to specific cells using nanoparticles. Current problems for nanomedicine involve understanding the issues related to toxicity and environmental impact of nanoscale materials. Nanomedicine seeks to deliver a valuable set of research tools and clinically useful devices in the near future. The National Nanotechnology Initiative expects new commercial applications in the pharmaceutical industry that may include advanced drug delivery systems, new therapies, and in vivo imaging.