Application of nanotechnology in cancer

Abstract

Nanotechnology refers broadly to a field of applied science and technology whose unifying theme is the control of matter on the molecular level in scales smaller than 1 micrometer, normally 1 to 100 nanometers, and the fabrication of devices within that size range. In the last five years this technology has been improved tremendously in disease diagnosis and prognosis and maximum research and clinical work has been completed in cancer. The use of various pharmaceutical nanocarriers has become one of the most important areas of nanomedicine. Novel nanotechnologies can complement and augment existing genomic and proteomic techniques to analyze variations across different tumor types, thus offering the potential to distinguish between normal and malignant cells. Sensitive biosensors constructed of nanoscale components (e.g., nanocantilevers, nanowires, and nanochannels) can recognize genetic and molecular events and have reporting capabilities, thereby offering the potential to detect rare molecular signals associated with malignancy. Such signals may then be collected for analysis by nanoscale harvesters that selectively isolate cancer-related molecules from tissues. The implication of nanotechnology in cancer is discussed in this article with an emphasis on biomarker detection, imaging studies for diagnosis, and its role in therapeutic intervention. ©Adenine Press (2008).