History and Possible Uses of Nanomedicine Based on Nanoparticles and Nanotechnological Progress

Abstract

Nanomedicine is a key science of the 21 st century. Although the production and use of nanosized particles had taken place in several ways in ancient times and hundreds of years ago, nanomedicine as a modern interdisciplinary science was first established in the nineties of the last century only. The basis of this new science derives from the development of an array of ultramicroscopic devices and the studies of cellular, molecular and finally atomsized structures in biology, chemistry and physics in the 20 th century. The nanotechnological approach, first framed in the 1950's by Richard P. Feynman, was the constitutive force to establish nanomedicine as a paramount section in science and medical treatments. From the beginning nanomedicine developed rapidly, driven by tremendous progress in techniques. Its historical evolvement and diversification into a wide range of medical applications (e.g. tissue engineering) and its increasing relevance for a large bunch of disease categories are outlined. Essential application and/or research areas comprise the use of biosensors for diagnostic reasons (including nanoimaging and lab-on-the-chip) and biocompatible nanomaterials (such as liposomes) as drug, vaccine and gene vehicles for therapy, most prominently as nanocapsules for cancer treatment (in connection to hyperthermia, thermoablation and radiotherapy methods where appropriate). Future directions remain multi-fold, the most important ones defined as drug delivery, theranostics, tissue engineering, and magnetofection. Some novel developments (regarding cancer treatment and stent angioplasty) are presented. Regenerative medicine and gene therapy are of rising importance