The Application of Nanotechnology to Drug Delivery in Medicine

This chapter examines the application of nanotechnology in medicine, known as nanomedicine, with a focus on the therapeutic application of nanomedicine. The different types of nanomaterials used in nanomedicine will be categorized based on their composition into three categories: solid drug nanoparticles, polymer therapeutics, and nanocarriers. A detailed description of the characteristics, design features, and synthetic approaches for each of these nanomaterial categories and their corresponding subcategories will be provided. The absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination processes will be introduced in context to the pharmacological benefits provided by nanomedicines. All the current clinically approved nanomedicines will be discussed from the perspective of the category of nanomaterial and their therapeutic application. The safety aspects of nanomedicines will then be examined with regards to the immunology of nanomaterials. The economic and infrastructural status, future direction and global initiatives present in nanomedicine will be outlined, before in the final section of the chapter, the different nanomedicines currently in clinical trials will be explored, and possible future directions of research will be summarized.