Nanomaterials in Medicine
203
and A. baumannii, SNAPPs demonstrated significantly more favorable results than
a conventional antibiotic imipenem, [24]. Overall, SNAPPs show great promise as
low-cost and effective antimicrobial agents and may represent a weapon in combating
the growing threat of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria [24].
9 Nanomaterial Applications in Common Diseases
9.1 Cancer
The goal of drug discovery is safety and efficacy. The limitations of the anticancer
drugs are poor targeting, and exposure to healthy cells, which pose side effects
[25]. The cell membrane blocks large and charged drug molecules, so transporting
a drug into a target cell poses a critical challenge [25]. It is crucial to approach this
issue by combining chemotherapeutics with cancer-targeting nanoparticles and other
biomolecules [25].
Studies show that cell-penetrating peptides linked to active drugs facilitate drug
delivery across the cell membrane [26]. Also, nanoparticles increase the pharmacokinetics of drugs [25]. Nanoparticles conjugated with cell-penetrating peptides
increase cell penetration and drug delivery to intracellular targets [27].
Cell-penetrating peptides can virtually enter all kinds of cells so that the CPP-NP
system can target the biomolecules in the membrane receptors of the cancer cells.
Dos Santos Rodrigues et al. showed in a novel brain targeted gene delivery system
that a CPP-NP could recognize transferrin receptors in the blood-brain barrier to
enter the blood-brain barrier to transfect neuronal cells [28].
CytImmune is a Maryland based cancer nanomedicine company that has developed gold nanoparticle-based targeted chemotherapy and completed its Phase I clinical trial, CYT-6091: gold nanoparticles combined with thiolated PEG and tissue
necrosis factor-alpha are better at targeting and lowering tumor toxicity [29]. Posttreatment tumor biopsies showed intracellular gold nanoparticles but not in healthy
tissues [29]. Cerulean Pharma has developed another targeted chemotherapy that uses
a nanoparticle: CRLX101 is a combination of cyclodextrin, a sugar molecule joined
with camptothecin, a chemotherapy drug [30]. CriPec® from Cristal Therapeutics
is a polymeric nanoparticle formulation containing the poorly water-soluble taxane
docetaxel [31]. Researchers at MIT study a nanoparticle-based chemotherapeutic
drug complex: 2 chemotherapeutic drugs along with liposomes coated on transferrin
to pass through the brain barrier and target glioblastoma.
Additionally, transferrin accumulates at the tumor site by binding to proteins on
the surface of tumor cells while avoiding healthy neurons [32]. Researchers at the
University of Toronto designed manganese dioxide nanoparticles to accumulate in a
tumor, altering the tumor microenvironment by generating oxygen to the efficiency
of the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin [33]. See Table 8.1 for more nanomaterials
for different cancers.
203
and A. baumannii, SNAPPs demonstrated significantly more favorable results than
a conventional antibiotic imipenem, [24]. Overall, SNAPPs show great promise as
low-cost and effective antimicrobial agents and may represent a weapon in combating
the growing threat of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria [24].
9 Nanomaterial Applications in Common Diseases
9.1 Cancer
The goal of drug discovery is safety and efficacy. The limitations of the anticancer
drugs are poor targeting, and exposure to healthy cells, which pose side effects
[25]. The cell membrane blocks large and charged drug molecules, so transporting
a drug into a target cell poses a critical challenge [25]. It is crucial to approach this
issue by combining chemotherapeutics with cancer-targeting nanoparticles and other
biomolecules [25].
Studies show that cell-penetrating peptides linked to active drugs facilitate drug
delivery across the cell membrane [26]. Also, nanoparticles increase the pharmacokinetics of drugs [25]. Nanoparticles conjugated with cell-penetrating peptides
increase cell penetration and drug delivery to intracellular targets [27].
Cell-penetrating peptides can virtually enter all kinds of cells so that the CPP-NP
system can target the biomolecules in the membrane receptors of the cancer cells.
Dos Santos Rodrigues et al. showed in a novel brain targeted gene delivery system
that a CPP-NP could recognize transferrin receptors in the blood-brain barrier to
enter the blood-brain barrier to transfect neuronal cells [28].
CytImmune is a Maryland based cancer nanomedicine company that has developed gold nanoparticle-based targeted chemotherapy and completed its Phase I clinical trial, CYT-6091: gold nanoparticles combined with thiolated PEG and tissue
necrosis factor-alpha are better at targeting and lowering tumor toxicity [29]. Posttreatment tumor biopsies showed intracellular gold nanoparticles but not in healthy
tissues [29]. Cerulean Pharma has developed another targeted chemotherapy that uses
a nanoparticle: CRLX101 is a combination of cyclodextrin, a sugar molecule joined
with camptothecin, a chemotherapy drug [30]. CriPec® from Cristal Therapeutics
is a polymeric nanoparticle formulation containing the poorly water-soluble taxane
docetaxel [31]. Researchers at MIT study a nanoparticle-based chemotherapeutic
drug complex: 2 chemotherapeutic drugs along with liposomes coated on transferrin
to pass through the brain barrier and target glioblastoma.
Additionally, transferrin accumulates at the tumor site by binding to proteins on
the surface of tumor cells while avoiding healthy neurons [32]. Researchers at the
University of Toronto designed manganese dioxide nanoparticles to accumulate in a
tumor, altering the tumor microenvironment by generating oxygen to the efficiency
of the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin [33]. See Table 8.1 for more nanomaterials
for different cancers.