The interdisciplinary field of
nanomedicine has experienced a tremendous surge over the last decade. The
potential implicit in applying the unique physical properties of nanomaterials
to challenging problems in medical diagnosis and therapy has evoked great
enthusiasm in the scientific community, the corporate world, and among the
public. Many quantitative parameters indicate continuing rapid expansion of
this field. Amidst this efflorescence of enthusiasm, however, there are a few
voices of concern.
For example, an article provocatively
entitled “Cancer nanomedicines: So many papers and so
few drugs! “ describes the difficult path for
clinical development of nanoparticle-based drugs (1). Additionally a recent
commentary in Nature Reviews Drug
Discovery asks if the surging wave of nanomedicine is cresting. It mentions
changes in funding prospects, growing realization about the limits of the
technology, and problems inherent is the complexity and cost of nanomedicines.
Clearly nanomedicine remains an
exciting and rapidly evolving field. However, it seems prudent to have a
balanced view of its limitations as well as its potential, and not to oversell
its benefits to the public.
Venditto, V. J. & Szoka, F. C. Jr. Cancer nanomedicines: So many papers so few drugs! Adv. Drug Deliv. Rev. 2013 Jan;65(1):80-8. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2012.09.038.
Epub 2012 Oct 1
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