Abstract
With the increasing advances in the fabrication and in monitoring approaches of nanotechnology devices, novel materials are being synthesized and tested for the interaction with biological environments. Among them, smart materials in particular provide versatile and dynamically tunable platforms for the investigation and manipulation of several biological activities with very low invasiveness in hardly accessible anatomical districts. In the following, we will briefly recall recent examples of nanotechnology-based materials that can be remotely activated and controlled through different sources of energy, such as electromagnetic fields or ultrasounds, for their relevance to both basic science investigations and translational nanomedicine. Moreover, we will introduce some examples of hybrid materials showing mutually beneficial components for the development of multifunctional devices, able to simultaneously perform duties like imaging, tissue targeting, drug delivery, and redox state control. Finally, we will highlight challenging perspectives for the development of theranostic agents (merging diagnostic and therapeutic functionalities), underlining open questions for these smart nanotechnology-based devices to be made readily available to the patients in need.
Highlights
Smart materials have gained increasing attention in the biomedical research fields thanks to their adjustable physical and/or chemical properties in response to deliberately imparted external stimuli or to environmental changes
When physical cues like light irradiation, ultrasounds, or electromagnetic fields are applied to a smart nanostructure, an energy transduction occurs and results into the activation of a precise cellular functionality
A suitable modification of the nanoparticle surface can improve the efficacy of this activation, by targeting specific cell populations or even specific intracellular organelles. This approach, which can be defined as a new paradigm in nanomedicine, finds several applications including cancer therapy, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and even bionics
Summary
Smart materials have gained increasing attention in the biomedical research fields thanks to their adjustable physical and/or chemical properties in response to deliberately imparted external stimuli or to environmental changes. For these reasons, their introduction in nanomedicine has opened unprecedented possibilities of manipulation of biological entities at cellular and even sub-cellular level. A suitable modification of the nanoparticle surface (e.g., with the aid of a cell ligand or of a monoclonal antibody) can improve the efficacy of this activation, by targeting specific cell populations or even specific intracellular organelles This approach, which can be defined as a new paradigm in nanomedicine, finds several applications including cancer therapy, drug delivery, tissue engineering, and even bionics. In this mini-review, we will focus on those nanomaterials that, in our opinion, are the most promising in terms of clinical translation, with particular attention to nanoparticles that act as “nano-transducers,” allowing for a remote manipulation of biological activities, and providing a “smart” interface between biological and non-biological environments (Figure 1)
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