Nanomedicine

About: Nanomedicine is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 4287 publications have been published within this topic receiving 200647 citations.

Novel nanomaterials for clinical neuroscience.

Abstract: Neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and stroke are rapidly increasing as population ages. The field of nanomedicine is rapidly expanding and promises revolutionary advances to the diagnosis and treatment of devastating human diseases. This paper provides an overview of novel nanomaterials that have potential to improve diagnosis and therapy of neurodegenerative disorders. Examples include liposomes, nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, block ionomer complexes, nanogels, and dendrimers that have been tested clinically or in experimental models for delivery of drugs, genes, and imaging agents. More recently discovered nanotubes and nanofibers are evaluated as promising scaffolds for neuroregeneration. Novel experimental neuroprotective strategies also include nanomaterials, such as fullerenes, which have antioxidant properties to eliminate reactive oxygen species in the brain to mitigate oxidative stress. Novel technologies to enable these materials to cross the blood brain barrier will allow efficient systemic delivery of therapeutic and diagnostic agents to the brain. Furthermore, by combining such nanomaterials with cell-based delivery strategies, the outcomes of neurodegenerative disorders can be greatly improved.

Improving the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Contrast and Detection Methods with Engineered Magnetic Nanoparticles

Abstract: Engineering and functionalizing magnetic nanoparticles have been an area of the extensive research and development in the biomedical and nanomedicine fields. Because their biocompatibility and toxicity are well investigated and better understood, magnetic nanoparticles, especially iron oxide nanoparticles, are better suited materials as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and for image-directed delivery of therapeutics. Given tunable magnetic properties and various surface chemistries from the coating materials, most applications of engineered magnetic nanoparticles take advantages of their superb MRI contrast enhancing capability as well as surface functionalities. It has been found that MRI contrast enhancement by magnetic nanoparticles is highly dependent on the composition, size and surface properties as well as the degree of aggregation of the nanoparticles. Therefore, understanding the relationships between these intrinsic parameters and the relaxivities that contribute to MRI contrast can lead to establishing essential guidance that may direct the design of engineered magnetic nanoparticles for theranostics applications. On the other hand, new contrast mechanism and imaging strategy can be developed based on the novel properties of engineered magnetic nanoparticles. This review will focus on discussing the recent findings on some chemical and physical properties of engineered magnetic nanoparticles affecting the relaxivities as well as the impact on MRI contrast. Furthermore, MRI methods for imaging magnetic nanoparticles including several newly developed MRI approaches aiming at improving the detection and quantification of the engineered magnetic nanoparticles are described.

Boron Nitride Nanotubes: Biocompatibility and Potential Spill-Over in Nanomedicine

Abstract: Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) represent an innovative and extremely intriguing class of nanomaterials. Thanks to their special chemical and physical characteristics, they have already found a large number of applications in the field of nanotechnology, and recent studies have shown their possible exploitation in the biomedical domain, both as nanocarriers and, more interestingly, as nanotransducers. In this review, the latest findings on the interactions between BNNTs and living systems are summarized, starting with the major issues of their stabilization in physiological media and their functionalization with bioactive molecules. Thereafter the biocompatibility data which have so far been made available are discussed, and the need for further extensive and standardized tests is highlighted. Finally, the appealing diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities offered by BNNT-based systems are described, envisioning the potential spill-over effects of such 'smart' and 'active' nanoparticles in nanomedicine.