Chapter 15 - Nanophase ceramic particles in bone regenerative therapeutics: theranostic platforms for bone disorders

Abstract

We ride on a personalized medicine era, of specific and targeted treatments, propelled by rapid advances in novel diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. Throughout this chapter, we focus on the next generation of nanotechnology-based theranostic (diagnostic+therapeutic) tools that will facilitate noninvasive imaging, and at the same time enable targeted activation of the healing process at sites of hampered musculoskeletal repair. We mainly focus our attention on the recent advances in nanomaterials application for bone tissue repair and prosthetic implants used to support the skeletal system. With priority on nanophase ceramic architectures, a detailed description about the different categories with regard to their ability to perform the dual modalities is analyzed. Current developments are specifically highlighted along with various examples, which are apt for this future medical management. The molecular complexities of bone tissue and the incomplete mechanistic understanding of the use of nanomedicine platforms in living systems are currently the main biological and translational barriers to the practical use of nano-theranostic. However, alternative theranostic approaches based on nanotechnology show promise for better performance than conventional treatment strategies. In this sense, we hope that our chapter presents the reader with a broad vision of new technologies applied to long-standing pathologies related to bone tissue.