Nanomaterials, with their size range (1-100 nm) that corresponds\nto basic biological materials such as DNA, vastly increased surface\narea (1000 m2/g) and unique mechanical, electronic, photonic\nand magnetic properties are projected to have a wide range of\napplications from drug and gene delivery to biomedical imaging\nand more recently to personalized medicine. The major advantages\nof using nanomaterials as a carrier for anticancer agents are the\npossibility of targeted delivery to the tumor, tumor imaging, their\nability to hold thousands of molecules of a drug and also their ability\nto overcome solubility, stability and resistance issues. Currently,\nthere are several nanotechnology-enabled diagnostic and therapeutic\nagents undergoing clinical trials and a few are already approved by the\nFDA. Targeted delivery of anticancer agents is achieved by exploiting\na unique characteristic of the tumor cells called ââ?¬Å?the Enhanced\nPermeation and Retention Effect (EPR effect). In addition to this\npassive targeting based mainly on size, the nanoparticle surface may\nbe modified with a variety of ligands that would interact with specific\nreceptors over-expressed on the surface of the tumor cells, thus\nimparting specificity for active targeting. Site-specific release of a drug\ncontained in a nanoparticulate system by the application of external\nstimuli such as hyperthermia to a thermosensitive device is another\ninnovative strategy for targeted delivery. This review provides an\nupdate on the FDA approved cancer nanomedicines such as Abraxane,\nDoxil, daunoxome, Oncaspar, DepoCyt and those in nanoplatforms\nthat have reached an advanced stage of clinical development utilizing\nliposomes, lipid nanoparticles, lipoplexes, albumin nanospheres,\nthermosensitive devices, micelles and gold nanoparticles.
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