Optimizing nanoparticle design and surface modification toward clinical translation

Abstract

The field of nanomedicine is a rapidly evolving field driven by the need for safer and more efficient therapies as well as ultrasensitive and fast diagnostics. Although the advantages of nanoparticles for diagnostic and therapeutic applications are unambiguous, in vivo requirements, including low toxicity, long blood circulation time, proper clearance, sufficient stability, and reproducible synthesis have, in most cases, bedeviled their clinical translation. Nevertheless, researchers have the opportunity to have a decisive influence on the future of nanomedicine by developing new multifunctional molecules and adapting the material design to the requirements. Ultimately, the goal is to find the right level of functionality without adding unnecessary complexity to the system. This article aims to emphasize the potential and current challenges of nanoparticle-based medical agents and highlights how smart and functional material design considerations can help to overcome many of the current limitations and increase the clinical value of nanoparticles.

Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery and Cancer Therapy

“…As extensively discussed by Foulkes et al, there is currently very little regulatory guidance in the area of nanomaterials for biomedical applications, with the manufacturing process often being hit or miss for nanomaterial stability [214]. Although the self-assembly process is not the limiting step, since it is mainly based on the spontaneous insurgence of weak intermolecular forces (e.g., electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and hydrophobic modification) reducing the possibility of any toxic cross-reactivity, the multiple reaction steps often required for the synthesis of the tailored HA-derivative, cannot be easily scaled at the industrial level, and require significant modification to fit with the good manufacturing procedures rules [215]. From a therapeutic point of view, despite the key advantages of high and reproducible drug loading, site-specific vectorization, and the ability to bypass some MDR pathways (e.g., drug efflux transporters), tailoring the physicochemical properties for optimal therapeutic efficacy is still challenging, especially in the case of prodrug HA-SANPs.…”

Solid Lipid Nanoparticles Based on Babassu Oil and Copaiba Oleoresin: A Promising Approach for Prostate Cancer Therapy

“…The higher HD values of SLN-W-RT and SLN-W-UR were probably influenced by the equipment signal, resulting in an overestimation of the average HD and, consequently, a decrease in the PDI values [47,48]. The correlation between HD and PDI values (equal to or less than 0.3) is relevant for pharmaceutical strategies aimed at cancer treatment, which exploit the effects of increased permeability and retention in neovascularized solid tumor tissues [49,50]. It is important to highlight that HD values greater than 400 nm are not recommended for SLNs aimed at cancer treatment, since the fenestrae in the tumor vasculature range from 300 to 900 nm [13].…”

Magnetic Silica‐Coated Fluorescent Microspheres (MagSiGlow) for Simultaneous Detection of Tumor‐Associated Proteins

“…Analysis of complex samples with low analyte concentration, often necessitate pre‐analytical purification to remove unwanted contaminants. This is typically achieved through methods like centrifugation, filtration, chromatography, magnetic separation, or other physical means [5] . To prevent the loss of especially scarce biomarkers, different types of magnetofluorescent nanoparticles (MFNP) have been developed [6] .…”