New perspectives in nanomedicine

Recent advances in nanotechnology have revolutionised all aspects of life, from engineering to cosmetics. One of the most exciting areas of development is that of nanomedicine. Due to their size (less than 100 nm in one aspect), nanoparticles exhibit properties that are unlike that of the same material in bulk size. These unique properties are being exploited to create new diagnostics and therapeutics for application in a broad spectrum of organ systems. Indeed, nanoparticles are already being developed as effective carriers of drugs to target regions of the body that were previously hard to access using traditional drug formulation methods. However, in addition to their role as a vehicle for drug delivery, nanoparticles themselves have the potential to have therapeutic benefit. Through manipulation of their elemental composition, size, shape, charge and surface modification or functionalisation it may be possible to target particles to specific organs where they may elicit their therapeutic effect. In this review we will focus on the recent advances in nanotechnology for therapeutic applications with a particular focus on the respiratory system, cancer and vaccinations. In addition we will also address developments in the field of nanotoxicology and the need for concomitant studies in to the toxicity of emerging nanotechnologies. It is possible that the very properties that make nanoparticles a desirable technology for therapeutic intervention may also lead to adverse health effects. It is thus important to determine, and appreciate, the fine balance between the efficacy and toxicity of nanomedicine. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.