The intrinsic limits of conventional cancer therapies prompted the development and application of various nanotechnologies for more effective and safer cancer treatment, herein referred to as cancer nanomedicine. Considerable technological success has been achieved in this field, but the main obstacles to nanomedicine becoming a new paradigm in cancer therapy stem from the complexities and heterogeneity of tumour biology, an incomplete understanding of nano-bio interactions and the challenges regarding chemistry, manufacturing and controls required for clinical translation and commercialization. This Review highlights the progress, challenges and opportunities in cancer nanomedicine and discusses novel engineering approaches that capitalize on our growing understanding of tumour biology and nano-bio interactions to develop more effective nanotherapeutics for cancer patients.

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Cancer nanomedicine: progress, challenges and opportunities.

Engineered nanoparticles have the potential to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases; for example, by allowing the targeted delivery of a drug to particular subsets of cells. However, so far, such nanoparticles have not proved capable of surmounting all of the biological barriers required to achieve this goal. Nevertheless, advances in nanoparticle engineering, as well as advances in understanding the importance of nanoparticle characteristics such as size, shape and surface properties for biological interactions, are creating new opportunities for the development of nanoparticles for therapeutic applications. This Review focuses on recent progress important for the rational design of such nanoparticles and discusses the challenges to realizing the potential of nanoparticles.

Strategies in the design of nanoparticles for therapeutic applications

PLGA-based nanoparticles: An overview of biomedical applications

https://www.farm.ucl.ac.be/Full-texts-FARM/Danhier-2010-2.pdf

To exploit the tumor microenvironment: Passive and active tumor targeting of nanocarriers for anti-cancer drug delivery

https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/29293165/Cancer%20Nanotechnology.pdf?sequence=1

Cancer Nanotechnology: The impact of passive and active targeting in the era of modern cancer biology

Active targeting schemes for nanoparticle systems in cancer therapeutics.

Nanomedicine is an emerging field that applies concepts in nanotechnology to the development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics. Physical and chemical properties of particles, including size, shape, modulus, surface charge and surface chemistry, play important roles in the efficacy of nanomedicines. This review focuses on the effect of particle physical and chemical properties on their interactions with cells in vitro and their pharmacokinetics and biodistribution in vivo.

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More effective nanomedicines through particle design.

Polypyrrole (PPy) is an inherently conducting polymer that has shown great promise for biomedical applications within the nervous system. However, to effectively use PPy as a biomaterial implant, it is important to understand and reproducibly control the electrical properties, physical topography and surface chemistry of the polymer. Although there is much research published on the use of PPy in various applications, there is no systematic study linking the methodologies used for PPy synthesis to PPy's basic polymeric properties (e.g., hydrophilicity, surface roughness), and to the biological effects these properties have on cells. Electrochemically synthesized PPy films differ greatly in their characteristics depending on synthesis parameters such as dopant, substrate and thickness, among other parameters. In these studies, we have used three dopants (chloride (Cl), tosylate (ToS), polystyrene sulfonate (PSS)), two substrates (gold and indium tin oxide-coated glass), and a range of thicknesses, to measure and compare the biomedically important characteristics of surface roughness, contact angle, conductivity, dopant stability and cell adhesion (using PC-12 cells and Schwann cells). As predicted, we discovered large differences in roughness depending on the dopant used and the thickness of the film, while substrate choice had little effect. From contact angle measurements, PSS was found to yield the most hydrophilic material, most likely because of free charges from the long PSS chains exposed on the surface of the PPy. ToS-doped PPy films were tenfold more conductive than Cl- or PSS-doped films. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies were used to evaluate dopant concentrations of PPy films stored in water and phosphate buffered saline over 14 days, and conductance studies over the same timeframe measured electrical stability. PSS proved to be the most stable dopant, though all films experienced significant decay in conductivity and dopant concentration. Cell adhesion studies demonstrated the dependence of cell outcome on film thickness and dopant choice. The strengths and weaknesses of different synthesis parameters, as demonstrated by these experiments, are critical design factors that must be leveraged when designing biomedical implants. The results of these studies should provide practical insight to researchers working with conducting polymers, and particularly PPy, on the relationships between synthesis parameters, polymeric properties and biological compatibility.

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Biocompatibility implications of polypyrrole synthesis techniques.

Particle replication in nonwetting templates (PRINT) is a continuous, roll-to-roll, high-resolution molding technology which allows the design and synthesis of precisely defined micro- and nanoparticles. This technology adapts the lithographic techniques from the microelectronics industry and marries these with the roll-to-roll processes from the photographic film industry to enable researchers to have unprecedented control over particle size, shape, chemical composition, cargo, modulus, and surface properties. In addition, PRINT is a GMP-compliant (GMP=good manufacturing practice) platform amenable for particle fabrication on a large scale. Herein, we describe some of our most recent work involving the PRINT technology for application in the biomedical and material sciences.

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Future of the particle replication in nonwetting templates (PRINT) technology.

Exposure to airborne nanoparticles contributes to many chronic pulmonary diseases. Nanoparticles, classified as anthropogenic and natural particles, and fibers of diameters less than 100 nm, have unrestricted access to most areas of the lung due to their size. Size relates to the deposition efficiency of the particle, with particles in the nano-range having the highest efficiencies. The deposition of nanoparticles in the lung can lead to chronic inflammation, epithelial injury, and further to pulmonary fibrosis. Cases of particle-induced pulmonary fibrosis, namely pneumoconiosis, are mostly occupationally influenced, and continue to be documented around the world. The tremendous growth of nanotechnology, however, has spurred fears of increased rates of pulmonary diseases, especially fibrosis. The severity of toxicological consequences warrants further examination of the effects of nanoparticles in humans, possible treatments and increased regulatory measures.

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James D. Byrne

Papers

Active targeting schemes for nanoparticle systems in cancer therapeutics.

More effective nanomedicines through particle design.

Biocompatibility implications of polypyrrole synthesis techniques.

Future of the particle replication in nonwetting templates (PRINT) technology.

The significance of nanoparticles in particle-induced pulmonary fibrosis.