Maria Jose Alonso - Böcker

This book provides a critical overview of the advances being made towards overcoming biological barriers through the contribution of nanosciences and nanotechnologies. Overcoming these barriers is of primary importance for solving the problems of many current drugs and vaccines and it is also especially relevant for the commercial exploitation of new therapeutic strategies i.e. gene and cellular therapies. Despite important information that has been covered in recently published books related to nanomedicine (mainly oriented to technologies and applications), there is still an important gap related to the relationship between the chemical properties of nanobiomaterials and their interaction with the biological environment. Thus, this comprehensive new book that is presented with a clear and organised structure dedicated to the different biological barriers relevant for drug delivery applications will focus on (i) mechanistic issues related to the interaction between drug delivery systems and biological barriers and (ii) the analysis of the critical factors determining the efficacy of nanobiomaterials for specific applications. Moreover, this field has become highly multidisciplinary over the last decade, leading to the development of new products, as well as to significant advances from the regulatory point of view. Moreover, this book will also provide an up-to-date view on the clinical relevance of nanomedicine and on its possible impact on global health.

This authoritative volume focuses on emerging technologies in cancer nano medicine, characterized by their multi-functionality and potential to address simultaneously diverse issues of clinical relevance in the treatment of cancer. The book consists of sixteen chapters divided into six sections: 1) Biological Barriers in Cancer; 2) Tumor Targeting; 3) Targeting the Immune System; 4) Gene Therapy; 5) Nano theranostics and 6) Translational Aspects of Nano-Oncologicals. The volume starts with an introduction describing the biological barriers associated with cancer therapy and highlighting ways to overcome such barriers through the use of nanotechnology. This is followed by an analysis of the two major targeting strategies currently under investigation in cancer therapy: namely, the targeting of cancer cells and the targeting of the immune system. In the first case, the book presents liposomal and polymer-based therapies, including photodynamic approaches. In the second case, it analyzes in detail the possibility of either improving the efficiency of the immune system toward preventing cancer progression (cancer immunomodulation) or generating responses against specific cancer antigens (cancer vaccines).Beyond these targeting options, Nano-Oncologicals: New Targeting and Delivery Approaches presents the most recent technological advances in the area of nucleic acid-based therapies, along with those in the area of theranostics, where the design of multifunctional nano carriers becomes vital. Following the study of the most promising nanotechnologies around the development of nano-oncologicals, the book ends with an overview of regulatory and toxicological issues, which are critical in their translational pathway, and the presentation of a nucleic acid-based therapy case-study. This book is an important resource for scientists interested in the design and development of anticancer nanotechnologies and also to those aiming to push their technology through clinical development.