Nanotechnology And Its Effects On The Field Of Drug...

Nanomedicine, the application of nanotechnology in medicine has attracted a great deal of attention in the field of drug delivery and tissue engineering over the past few decades. This increasing interest in nanomedicine is driven by its potential to revolutionize the treatment of some prevalent global disease such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and diabetes in safer and more effective ways [1, 2]. Nanotechnology refers to the engineering of materials at the atomic, molecular, and supramolecular levels in at least one dimension from 1–100 nanometers [3]. The manipulation of matter at the nanoscale to fabricate materials with modified and new properties is a rapidly growing field of research with†¦show more content†¦The latter refers to the targeted drug delivery, which is a key aspect of nanomedicine. Targeted delivery is to deliver therapeutic agents in the right concentration, in the right time to the right site. The idea of targeted drug delivery is not new and dates back to 1906, when for the first time Paul Ehrlich disseminated the concept of a ‘magic bullet’ [14]. Almost after a century researching on targeted drug delivery, the ‘magic bullet’ is still a challenge to implement in the clinic. The challenge involves finding the appropriate therapeutic agents, targeting moieties, and pharmaceutical carriers [15]. An ideal pharmaceutical vehicle would be biocompatible, biodegradable, non-toxic and non-immunogenic. In addition, it should not be recognized by the host s defense