Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
higher.sensitivity.and.short.turnaround.time.of.diagnostic.tests,.enabling.point-of-care.test-
ing..AuNPs.offer.a.great.deal.of.hope.in.cancer.therapy.and.imaging..Their.high.surface-
to-volume. ratio. makes. them. excellent. vehicles. for. drug. delivery,. and. their. unique. optical.
properties,.which.can.be.tuned.to.extend.to.the.NIR.(the.optical.transparency.window.of.tis-
sues),.enable.their.use.in.photothermal.therapy,.as.well.as.in.diagnostic.and.imaging.applica-
tions..AuNPs.are.therefore.expected.to.remain.in.the.spotlight,.though.the.popularity.of.gold.
nanospheres.is.ebbing.in.favor.of.anisotropic.gold.nanostructures,.especially.nanorods.and.
nanoshells,.due.to.their.higher.tunability..Efforts.are.expected.to.be.further.poured.into.opti-
mization,.whether.in.terms.of.identifying.the.best-suited.size.and.shape.of.AuNPs.for.each.
application,.or.in.terms.of.optimizing.the.applications.themselves..The.present.unmet.needs.
in.healthcare.and.the.advantages.offered.by.AuNPs.urge.toward.their.clinical.approval.
Among.the.major.challenges.facing.the.use.of.AuNPs.in.vivo.is.the.need.for.more.long-
term.studies.on.their.biodistribution.and.possible.cytotoxic.effects,.especially.with.regard.to.
redistribution..Patent.issues.represent.another.potential.challenge.facing.the.commercial-
ization.of.AuNPs.in.biomedical.applications..Patents.are.a.double-edged.sword,.especially.
in. a. new. and. emerging. ield. such. as. nanomedicine.. On. the. one. hand,. patents. encour-
age.innovation.while.protecting.the.rights.of.inventors..Because.nanotechnology.and.its.
applications. in. many. scientiic. disciplines. represent. a. new. arena. with. still. much. room.
for.growth,.inventors.and.investors.are.leaving.no.stone.unpatented..In.a.special.report,.
Bawa
175
.elegantly.explained.that.the.large.number.of.patents.being.issued.in.the.ield,.with.
scientists,. universities,. and. companies. racing. to. obtain. broad. patents. in. upstream. pro-
cesses,.is.resulting.in.“patent.thickets”.and.overlaps.that.may.eventually.hinder.progress,.
innovation,.and.commercialization.of.products.
This.challenge.was.also.faced.by.biotechnology.when.it.emerged.as.a.budding.ield,.and.
has.since.been.gradually.overcome..Therefore,.nanomedicine.must.be.geared.toward.the.
facilitation.of.commercialization.early.on.in.the.process.of.development.so.that.patients.
can. reap. the. beneits. of. nanomedical. services. and. products.. Nanomedicine. and. the. use.
of.gold.nanoparticles.in.biomedical.applications.hold.great.promise.in.providing.higher-
quality. healthcare,. including. reduced. cost,. earlier. detection,. and. more. eficient. and. tar-
geted.treatment,.with.the.use.of.less.or.noninvasive.methods.
Acknowledgments
We.thank.Tamer.Samir,.from.the.Yousef.Jameel.Science.and.Technology.Research.Center.
at.the.American.University.in.Cairo,.and.Ahmed.Teleb.for.their.support.and.professional.
help.with.the.artwork.
References
.
1.. Daniel,.M.C.,.and.Astruc,.D.,.Gold.nanoparticles:.assembly,.supramolecular.chemistry,.quan-
tum-size-related. properties,. and. applications. toward. biology,. catalysis,. and. nanotechnology,.
Chem. Rev.
,.104,.293,.2004.
.
2.. Radwan,.S.H.,.and.Azzazy,.H.M.,.Gold.nanoparticles.for.molecular.diagnosis,.
Expert Rev. Mol.
Diagn.
,.9,.511,.2009.
