Nanotechnology for cancer treatment

Abstract

Nanotechnology has the potential to increase the selectivity and potency of chemical, physical, and biological approaches for eliciting cancer cell death while minimizing collateral toxicity to nonmalignant cells. Materials on the nanoscale are increasingly being targeted to cancer cells with great specificity through both active and passive targeting. In this review, we summarize recent literature that has broken new ground in the use of nanotechnology for cancer treatment with an emphasis on targeted drug delivery.

Keywords: cancer; drug-delivery; nanotechnology.

Figure 1

Depiction of NP targeting of malignant cells through both active and passive targeting. NPs (green stars) accumulate in tumor tissue via the EPR – a form of passive targeting. Inset – shape-specific interaction of the NPs with cell-surface receptors is indicated by “Y-star” interactions that represent active targeting of NPs to cancer cells based upon specific molecular interactions.

Figure 2

Comparison of short- and long-term effects of treatment with conventional agents (top panels) and NPs that use both active and passive targeting of malignant cells (bottom panels). Conventional approaches are equally effective in the short term; however, micro-metastases remain and repopulate the tumor in the long term. Targeted NPs destroy micrometastases resulting in long-term therapeutic benefit.