Small is More: Nanomaterials for Drug Delivery and Theranostic Applications
COMP Seminar (Otakaari 1 U3). Speaker: Professor Hélder Santos (University of Helsinki, Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology).
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Novel biomedical engineering technologies have been underlined as very promising means for the advance in medical research [1–3]. Personalized medicine allows for the identification of the right therapy, 
reaching the right therapeutic target in the body at the right time in an efficient manner, with reduced undesired collateral effects [4]. In this context, target nanomedicines are of great interest towards the development of personalized medicines and envisaged for their large-scale implementation. Recently, we have developed prominent biomaterials, such as porous silicon and polymer-based micro/nano-particles as potential platforms for cancer theranostics and other individualization of medical intervention [5–13]. All these biomaterials are promising advanced drug delivery technologies for biomedical applications. The results of the efficient surface biofunctionalization, targeting, imaging, encapsulation of drug molecules using advanced technologies, such the microfluidics technique, are presented and discu ssed in detail. Examples on how these materials can be used to enhance the bioavailability of drug/peptide molecules, demonstrating their cytocompatibility, in vivo biofate (imaging) and intracellular cancer targeting, are also presented. Overall, the recent cutting-edge advances on nanomaterials are anticipated to overcome some of the therapeutic window and clinical applicability of many drug/peptide molecules, and can also act as innovative theranostic platforms and tools for the clinic, because they offer a less invasive alternative compared to the conventional therapeutic strategies and, thereby, enhancing the expectancy and quality of life of the patients.
References
- H.A. Santos, J. Hirvonen, Nanomedicine (London) 7 (2012) 1281.
- N. Shrestha, et al. Biomaterials 68 (2015) 9.
- H.A. Santos, Porous Silicon For Biomedical Applications. Elsevier Ltd. 2014.
- H.A. Santos, et al. Nanomedicine (London) 9 (2014) 535.
- F. Araújo, et al. ACS Nano 9 (2015), 8291;
- F. Kong, et al. Adv. Funct. Mater. 25 (2015) 3330.
- H. Zhang, et al. Adv. Mater 26 (2014) 4497.
- D. Liu, et al. Adv. Mater. 27 (2015) 2298.
- D. Liu, et al. Biomaterials 39 (2015) 249.
- D. Liu, et al. Nano Lett. 17 (2017) 606.
- F. Fontana, et al. Adv. Mater. 2017. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201603239.
- V. Balasubramanian, et al. Adv. Mater. 2017. DOI: 10.1002/adma.201605375.
- C.-F. Wang, Biomaterials 48 (2015) 108.
More information about Prof. Hélder A. Santos:
Drug Research Program, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Finland
Helsinki Institute of Life Science
E-mail: helder.santos at helsinki.fi