Application of nanotechnology in drug
delivery, and cancer diagnosis & treatment
By
Associate Prof. Heba Elhendawy
Define …
Nanoparticles: Particles with dimensions 1 to 100 nm.
Sub-nanoparticles: These are particles smaller than 1 nm, often used in
specialized applications such as catalysis and sensing.
1. Identify…. Methods of nanoparticles synthesis
A
Agglomeration state of nanoparticles
1. Identify. (polydisperse & monodisperse nanoparticles
2. Define A and B
Common Applications of Nanoparticles in Medicine
1. Drug delivery, Enumerate uses of nanoparticles in medicine….
2. Targeted therapy in cancer.
2. Bone regeneration by deliver drugs or growth factors directly to areas
needing repair.
3. Neurological disorders as they are capable to across the challenges related
to the blood brain barrier to deliver drugs to brain.
4. Immunotherapy by delivering immune-modulating agents directly to the
immune system or tumor sites.
5. Inflammatory diseases by delivering anti-inflammatory drugs directly to
inflamed tissues.
6. Enhanced imaging techniques for early cancer detection.
Nanoparticles use in drug delivery
Classify + properties
Lipid based nanoparticles
Liposomes
Identify structures related to each arrow..
• liposomes are suitable drug delivery vehicles for cancer and other diseases.
• Composition: Membranes of phospholipids, which are molecules that have a head group
and a tail group. The head group is hydrophilic, while the tail group is hydrophobic.
• Hydrophilic drugs are carried by being entrapped in the interior, whereas the water-phobic medicines are
entrapped inside the bilayer of lipid.
Lipid nanoparticles
Exosomes
Define..
• Exosomes are natural carriers into which drugs can be loaded. Exosomes
are encapsulated with drugs to make them suitable for the various target
therapies.
Advantages:
Polymeric nanoparticles
Polymersome
Smart nanovesicles for drug delivery
• Polymersomes are considered the structural analogues of liposomes. They are hollow
vesicles enclosed by bilayer membranes composed of amphiphilic copolymers.
Polymersomes are mainly designed and engineered to simulate the features and
structure of viral capsids and cell membranes.
Dendrimers
Uses: Drug molecules may be covalently conjugated to the end groups of a dendrimer or
entrapped inside the core via hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic linkage, or electro–static
interactions (Hughes 2005).
• Delivery or carrier systems for drugs and genes, but studies have shown that some
dendrimers have medicinal uses of their own, mostly due to their antifungal,
antibacterial and cytotoxic properties.
`
Uses: Delivery of the pharmaceutical agent to a specific site of action, achieving a higher concentration of drug and increasing
the stability of volatile drugs and the effectiveness and efficiency of the drug.
Advantages of its use: 1. lack of immunogenicity, antigenicity, and toxicity.
2. Increase drug solubility, stability and bioactivity.
Non polymeric NPs
Carbon based NPs
Photothermal therapy
• Phototherapy is used to induce
apoptosis in cancer cells by
employing light, heat, and radiation.
Photosensitizers like nanoparticles
enhance the selected killing effect by
targeting apoptotic pathways and the
immune system.
Nanoparticles:
- iron oxide nanoparticles,
- Gold NPs
- Carbon based NPs
- Polymer based NPs.
Gold nanoparticles use in PTT
Carbon Nanotubes
• It`s carbon rods used to detect DNA changes associated with cancer.
• Carbon nanotubes possess unique optical and electrical properties.
Uses:
1. Detect altered genes in DNA molecule (Mutation detection),and special tags bind to
the mutated genes.
2. Drug delivery. (Theranostic uses)
3. Imaging applications as they target specific cancer cells, Carrier for contrast agent.
(diagnostic).
4. Regenerative medicine.
Carbon nanotubes
Fullerenes
Gene therapy
Phototherapy
Early cancer
detection
Selective
targeting
Discuss benefits of using Fullerene C60 in cancer treatment…
Deliver contrast agent
Microbubbles
Microbubbles
Microbubbles are gas-filled bubbles.
Uses:
1. Contrast agents in ultrasound imaging. They
enhance the imaging of tumors, allowing for better
visualization and diagnosis.
2. Delivery of drugs.
3. link to specific receptors on tumor cell.
4. Enhance solubility of hydrophobic drugs.
Microbubbles work by resonating in an ultrasound
beam, rapidly contracting and expanding in
response to the pressure changes of the sound
wave. They vibrate particularly strongly at the high
frequencies used for diagnostic ultrasound imaging.
This makes them several thousand times more
reflective than normal body tissues.
Quantum Dots have unique fluorescence properties
Tiny crystals that glow when are stimulated by UV light.
Latex beads filled with these crystals and designed to
bind to specific DNA sequences,
After UV stimulation
Each bead emits light with specific spectral bar code
identifying the specific DNA region.
QD used to diagnose diseases.
Beads binding to specific DNA sequences corresponding
to each disease, when stimulated by light these beads
liberate light with unique spectrum barcode.
Quantum dots can provide real-time imaging of cancer
cells, aiding in early detection and monitoring of
treatment responses.
Eliminate the need for biopsy.
Magnetic Nanoparticles:
Uses:
Both imaging and targeted drug
delivery.
They can be guided to tumor sites using
an external magnetic field, allowing for
localized treatment and enhanced
imaging contrast.
Nanotechnology use as early
( Cancer Diagnostic Aid)
1. High Sensitivity and Specificity:
High sensitivity and specificity mean even small amounts of
cancer-related substances can be identified, allowing for earlier
diagnosis compared to traditional methods.
These nanoparticles can be engineered to bind specifically to cancer-
related molecules, such as proteins or nucleic acids, enabling the
detection of even low concentrations of these biomarkers in biological
samples.
This capability is essential for identifying cancer at its earliest stages, where
conventional methods may fail due to lower sensitivity.
2. Enhanced Imaging Techniques:
Nanoparticles can be utilized as contrast agents in imaging
modalities such as MRI, CT scans, and fluorescence imaging.
As: **quantum dots** and **nanoshells** can enhance the
contrast of images, allowing for better visualization of tumors
and facilitating the detection of cancerous tissues at earlier
stages.
These imaging enhancements can lead to more accurate
diagnoses and better treatment planning.
3. Biosensors and Nanodevices:
Nanotechnology has led to the development of highly sensitive
**biosensors** that can detect cancer biomarkers in bodily fluids
like blood or urine.
Such devices can be integrated into point-of-care testing,
making early cancer detection more accessible and efficient.
4. Targeted Delivery of Diagnostic Agents:
Nanoparticles can be designed to deliver diagnostic agents
directly to cancer cells, enhancing the specificity of detection.
ex: magnetic NPs
Improvement of cancer treatment by using
nanotechnology
Nanotechnology employs mechanisms such as
▪ Targeted drug delivery,
▪ Smart nanoparticles,
▪ Gene therapy,
▪ Immunotherapy enhancement,
▪ Overcoming drug resistance to improve cancer treatment.
1. Targeted Drug Delivery: (define)
Nanoparticles are designed to
recognize and bind to specific
biomarkers present on the surface
of tumor cells.
Help in direct delivery of
chemotherapy,radiotherapy, and
other therapeutic agents to the
tumor cells.
Minimizing damage to healthy
tissues and reducing systemic side
effects.
2. Smart Nanoparticles (Define?)
• Smart nanoparticles are those that are capable of releasing
more drug molecules to the surrounding environment upon
stimulation.
The stimuli include physical (temperature, light, magnetic field,
and electricity), chemical (pH, and ions), and biological
(enzymes, antibodies, and small molecules) components.
3. Gene Therapy: (Define?)
Using nanoparticles to deliver
genetic material directly into
cancer cells that silence oncogenes
and induce cancer cell death
pathways.
It is a novel way to treat cancer at
the genetic level.
4. Immunotherapy Enhancement:
(Define?)
Stimulate a stronger immune response
against cancer cells.
Using nanoparticles to enhance the
effectiveness of immunotherapy by
delivering immune-modulating agents
directly to the tumor site.
5. Overcoming Drug Resistance:
using
nanoparticles to deliver combination therapies or
by modifying the drug's release profile, it is possible to
enhance the effectiveness of existing treatments
against resistant cancer cells.
Nanochemotherapeutic drugs that are based on metal
and metal oxides, polymeric micelles, polymer/lipids,
and other conjugates. (The formulations inside the
circle are approved and those outside are under trial).
Thank you