Title:Smart Delivery and Controlled Drug Release with Gold Nanoparticles: New Frontiers in Nanomedicine
VOLUME: 2 ISSUE: 1
Author(s):Valerio Voliani, Giovanni Signore, Riccardo Nifosi, Fernanda Ricci, Stefano Luin and Fabio Beltram
Affiliation:Center for Nanotechnology Innovation @NEST, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, I-56127 Pisa, Italy.
Keywords:Biocompatibility, controlled release, drug delivery, gold nanoparticles, nanomedicine, photochemistry
Abstract:Discoveries in the field of nanotechnology are triggering a revolution in medicine, by providing a profusion of
potential and actual applications of nanosized objects in the diagnosis and treatment of several diseases. This trend is also
evident in the increasing number of patents recorded annually. In particular, nanoparticles able to find a target and release
their payload upon a specific stimulus are highly attractive for the diagnostics and therapeutics, for example, of cancer and
gene diseases. In this view, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) stood out as suitable platforms for the development of efficient
delivery and release systems. AuNPs are biocompatible, and can be easily synthesized and functionalized. The capability
of tuning their size and geometry allows manipulating their optical and physical properties. Engineering their coating
controls the stability, targeting and release features. In this review several patents concerning release strategies based on
gold nanostructures are reported, together with a discussion about their operating processes and their mutual advantages
and disadvantages.
