Challenges in Development of Nanomedicine for Treatment of Cancer

Abstract

The inherent limitations of conventional cancer therapies have stimulated the growth of cancer nanomedicine. This is primarily attributable to its unique features for drug delivery, diagnosis and imaging, synthetic vaccine development and miniature medical devices, supplemented with the inherent therapeutic property of some nanomaterials. Nanotherapies that integrate some of these features are already in use and others have great potential in clinical development, with definitive results in near future. In order to develop smart cancer nanomedicine, it is very essential to bridge the gap between Bio-Nanoscience and Cancer Nanomedicine with a better understanding about the molecular basis of cancer. The development of smart cancer nanomedicine can be accelerated by patient stratification, rational drug selection, combination therapy, synergism with immunotherapeutics. The nanoplatforms that exhibit a significant increase in progression free survival are most desirable.