Nanotheranostics: An emerging nanoscience

Abstract

Theranostic approaches have been suggested for various ailments, particularly cancer, microbial diseases, AIDS, and many others. This is a kind of personalized treatment where the treatment is guided according to the individual molecular profile or on the basis of biomarker identification. Combination of diagnostics and therapeutic strategy into a single platform can be made possible with the help of nanotechnology. Usually most of the nanomedicines act by increasing bioavailability of the drug, protection from degradation, and controlled biodistribution in the body system. Nanotheranostics thus encompass all those nano stages that can be used for simultaneous detection and treatment of disease by providing better penetration of drugs within the body systems with reduced risks as compared to other conventional therapies. Theranostics offer new and emerging applications of nanotechnology. Nonetheless, the nanocarrier should have the capacity to accommodate multiple agents such as stabilizer, therapeutics, and targeting and imaging moieties. The pharmaceutical and healthcare industry is the one that has the most benefits of this new and emerging field of nanotechnology. It can also play a key role in the field of molecular biology by the development of molecular sensors or imaging agents for diagnosis and carriers or vehicle development for therapeutic agents. These innovative carriers and agents can make difference in the treatment of cancer, AIDS, cardiovascular diseases, burn wounds, infections, etc. by the development of nanotheranostic diagnostic systems like immunoassays or colorimetric assays and in therapeutic approaches through gene therapy or by biomarker identification and targeting systems.