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Preface

Currently, an exceptional growth in research, innovation, and applications have been realized in the area of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is beheld as a transformative technology. It offers ample possibilities to address the key societal challenges essential to encounter global healthcare problems. It presents engineered nanomaterials, smart innovative products incorporating these materials, and nanoenabled processes having magnificent growth potential for a large number of industrial sectors. Formulation scientists have extensively used nanoparticles for entrapment of drugs with intention of enhanced delivery to, or uptake by, target cells and/or a reduction in the toxicity of the free drug to nontarget organs. There is collective optimism that nanotechnology, as applied to medicine, has and will further lead to noteworthy developments in therapeutics, tissue engineering, active implants, nano‐robotic biosensors, molecular diagnostics and imaging, bone grafting, tiny vehicles for drug delivery, nutraceuticals, genomics, and proteomics. Nanomedicine, incorporating prospective drug delivery nanocarriers, hails great promises to combat complex illnesses like cancer, neurological diseases, infectious or inflammatory diseases, and malaria due to novel physicochemical properties. However, this may damage and exert toxicological effects due to detrimental interfaces with living systems and the environment. Thus, the smart and sustainable development of these nanomaterials has created concerns about their possible undesirable effects on human health and safety as well as an environmental burden. Additionally, these necessitate contemplating its characteristic features, exposure effects, hazard mechanisms, risk assessment and management.

This book focuses on current trends to deliver therapeutic agents into targeted specific cells, cellular compartments, tissues, and organs by using nanoparticulate carriers; applications of nanotechnology in medicine with a special focus on neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, diagnostics, nano‐nutraceuticals, dermatology, gene therapy, etc.; nanotoxicology with focus on nanomedicine, landscapes of in vitro and in vivo toxicological testing; regulatory framework in nanotechnology and medicine; future aspects in toxicity and safety assessment of nanotechnology, etc. Also, the book identifies the knowledge gaps related to nanomaterials’ safety which tends to be the greatest hurdle in obtaining benefits of nanomedicine in healthcare. Now that we are entering a new phase from academic development to proven clinical value, it is very important for specialists in the field to find all the information on these aspects together in a book, to see what the current stage is, what the problems are and what viable solutions are being proposed for the future in this field.

This book contains valuable chapters written by professionals and experts on the diverse aspects of nanotechnology in medicine with insights into the toxicological and safety issues owing to interaction with biological systems and the environment. The chapters have been divided into four different parts. Part I: Nanomedicine: Nanotoxicological Insights – aims to enrich the understandings of nanotoxicological features of nanomedicine. It provides an introductory overview of nanomedicine and nanotoxicology progressing further toward recent advances in research and development dealing with microbial biopolymers and their derivatives as nanotechnological instruments for medicine. Part II deals with Nanoparticles: Toxicity and Safety. The recent technological and manufacturing innovations have led to the enhanced use of nanoparticles for diverse applications. However, this has also preceded the risks allied with its exposure. This part imparts the perceptions of toxicity and safety aspects of selenium nanoparticles, the impact of nanoparticles on protozoa, moving ahead in the direction of toxicity and safety facets of metallic, polymeric, and mesoporous silica nanoparticles. Part III is focused on Nanotoxicology and Drug delivery. Augmenting the mechanistic insights for risk assessment of employing nanomaterials in drug delivery is the need of the hour. Consequently, this part targets the toxicity and safety aspects of incorporating nanocarriers for gene delivery, brain delivery, parenteral delivery, dermatological delivery, etc. Lastly, it encompasses the current scenario and future road map for nanotoxicity and nanosafety assessment of nanocarriers. The last part (Part IV: Nanotechnology, Ethics and Regulatory Framework) emphasizes harmonizing the procedures for safety evaluation globally and ascertaining unambiguous regulations as well as standard protocols. The part thus delivers the perceptions of nanoethics and the regulatory framework of nanotechnology in medicine.

This book has been planned, authored, and structured for the wide spectrum of multisectoral audiences of scholars, students, practitioners, and policymakers with adequate coverage. It is intended to be a reference resource that will meet the needs of academicians, clinicians, as well as graduate and postgraduate students from nearly every field of science and engineering – toxicology, biotechnology, chemistry, physics, genetics, medical science, material science and engineering, environmental science and environmental engineering. For researchers working in the fields of nanotechnology, nanomaterials and nanocarriers, nanoengineering, nanobiotechnologies, nanomedicine and biopharmaceuticals, and other similar fields, it would be very useful.

We are highly thankful to the authors for their excellent work in providing cutting‐edge information on the subject of their respective chapters. Their efforts will certainly enhance and update the readers' knowledge of the toxicity and safety aspects of nanomedicine. Further, we would like to express our sincere thanks to the publishers and authors of the chapters whose research work has been mentioned in the book. We are also thankful to Dr. Julia Squarr, Sarah Mellor, Rosie Hayden, Tom Marriott, and the Wiley team for their substantial cooperation and efforts in producing this book.

Last but not the least, we believe that this edited book would inspire engagement and intervention by concerted and collaborative action by appropriate bodies to shape the nanoworld and deliver innovative solutions to address daunting medical challenges.

25 April 2021

Mahendra Rai

Amravati, MH, India

Mrunali Patel

Anand, GJ, India

Rashmin Patel

Anand, GJ, India