The artificial cell design: nanoparticles - Artificial Cells, Cell Engineering and Therapy - page 110

Table 4.2 Commercializing nanoparticles for medical applications (Salata, 2004)

Company Major area Technology

of activity

Abraxis Bioscience, Inc. Drug delivery Commercialized the first product
using nanotechnology (Abraxane)
Alnis Biosciences, Inc. NanoGel treatment Biodegradable polymeric
nanoparticles for drug delivery

Biophan Technologies, MRI shielding Nanomagnetic/carbon composite

Inc. materials to shield medical devices

from radiofrequency fields

Capsulution Pharmaceutical Layer-by-layer poly-electrolyte

Nanoscience AG coatings to coatings, 8±50nm

improve solubility
of drugs

Effel Technologies Drug delivery Reducing size of the drug particles

to 50±100 nm

Envirosystems, Inc. Surface disinfectant Nanoemulsions

Evident Technologies Luminescent Semiconductor quantum dots with

biomarkers amine or carboxyl groups on the

surface, emission from
350±2500nm

NanoBio Corp. Pharmaceutical Antimicrobial nano-emulsions

Nanocarrier Co., Ltd Drug delivery Micellar nanoparticles for

encapsulation of drugs, proteins
and DNA

NanoPharm AG Drug delivery Polybutylcyanoacrylate

nanoparticles are coated with drugs
and then with surfactant, can go
across the blood±brain barrier

NanoMed Drug delivery Nanoparticles for drug delivery

Pharmaceutical, Inc.
Celsion Corp Drug delivery Heat-activated lipsome drug for

anticancer

Surface modification of nanoparticles with hydrophilic non-immunogenic
polymers has been successfully applied to obtain drug carriers capable of
circulating for a long time. Long-lived drug-entrapped liposomes have become
the first clinically approved drug delivery system. Initial clinical trials showed
encouraging results in terms of reduced toxicity and drug targeting to the tumor
site. Some of the problems encountered with liposomal systems may be over-
come with the use of more stable biodegradable and polymeric nanoparticles
with a hydrophilic surface.
The medical application of nanotechnology has led to the emergence of a new
discipline known as nanomedicine. As part of nanomedicine, nanocapsules and
nanoparticles may overcome current drug delivery limitations.