Having worked closely together on nanoparticle design and ligand capping for several years, Imran Saleem, Professor in Nanomedicine at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU; UK), and Ahmed AH Abdellatif, Professor of Pharmaceutics (Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia), have recently released their complete guide to nanomedicine and it cancer applications. Here, we speak to them about the critical necessity for the book, the technologies driving the field forward and their predictions for the future of the field. Please provide a brief introduction to the types of nanomedicines in cancer Nanomedicine for oncology encompasses a diverse array of platforms, including liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, micelles, dendrimers, metallic nanostructures (such as gold, silver, and iron oxide), and antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). These systems are engineered to optimize the solubility, stability, and pharmacokinetic profiles of therapeutic agents, facilitating enhanced tumor accumulation via active and passive targeting while minimizing off-target systemic toxicity. The clinical impact of these technologies is already evident through FDA-approved formulations like liposomal doxorubicin (Doxil) and albumin-bound paclitaxel (Abraxane), which demonstrate superior safety profiles compared to their conventional counterparts. The current impact of nanomedicine lies in its ability to augment existing treatments, moving oncology toward a more precise and patient-centric approach. What challenges does this field face? Despite significant progress in laboratory settings, nanomedicine in cancer faces several challenges in clinical translation. Biological barriers, for instance, represent a key hindrance to these therapies. Nanoparticles are often cleared by the immune system before reaching their target, and the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect, through…
