Nanotechnology in cancer therapeutics

The field of cancer therapeutics is rapidly evolving. Of particular interest is the potential for nanotechnology to overcome one of chemotherapy’s biggest barriers: targeted drug delivery. Owing to the sheer small size of nanoparticles, the opportunity arises for chemotherapy to be administered much more accurately to cancer cells while sparing healthy adjacent tissues. In this article, we review the various tools in nanotechnology that have emerged as candidate delivery systems for chemotherapeutic agents. We discuss the ways in which nanotechnology has been demonstrated to eradicate cancer cells and comment on both successes and current limitations.