The field of Nanotechnology is emerging worldwide and there has been tremendous investment in this area with an extensive research and development efforts being focused to create new opportunities for advances in drug delivery systems. This review will discuss the various approaches in the design and development of these nanotechnology platforms that bestow such characteristics to the nanoparticles. These nano-sized objects, e.g., “nanoparticles”, take on novel properties and functions that differ markedly from those seen from items made of identical materials. The small size, customized surface, improved solubility, and multi-functionality of nanoparticles will continue to open many doors and create new biomedical applications. This review will also focus on nanoscale based drug delivery systems that are most prominent and widely studied: hydrogels, polymersomes, nanotubes, dendrimers, quantum dots, nanoshells, and nanomicelles. These drug delivery systems can be potentially translated into targeted cellular and tissue-specific clinical applications designed to achieve maximal therapeutic efficacy with minimal side effects.
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