Nanomedicine and Applications in Cancer: an authors’ perspective

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 which nanoparticles selectively accumulate in tumor tissue due to the porous, malformed blood vessels in these structures, is far less consistent in human patients than in animals. In addition, the interactions between nanomaterials and biological components (i.e., proteins, cell membranes, cellular uptake, and intracellular trafficking) are highly complex and remain insufficiently characterized. What’s more, proteins in the blood can often adsorb to nanoparticles, forming a “protein corona” that can unpredictably alter a nanoparticle’s behavior, making it difficult to characterize its biological fate compared to traditional drugs.

Further challenges present themselves beyond the biological mechanisms of nanotherapeutics. The transition from lab-scale to mass production of these compounds is incredibly technically complex and costly and requires the maintenance of strict batch-to-batch consistency in nanoparticle size and drug loading. Meanwhile, a lack of standardized global guidelines, coupled with concerns regarding the long-term toxicity of synthetic materials, can slow down the clinical approval process.

These challenges underscore the urgent need for robust predictive models, standardized characterization protocols, and multidisciplinary synergy between academia, industry, and regulatory bodies.

What drove you to put together this book?

This book was motivated by the need to bridge the gap between fundamental principles of cancer nanomedicine and their practical clinical applications. There are many articles that concentrate on isolated systems or experimental innovation; however, there is a noticeable lack of resources with real-world applications that are integrative and critical.

Our objective was to facilitate a cross-disciplinary dialogue that guides the next generation of oncology treatments. Consequently, this book brings together leading experts to provide a comprehensive roadmap for both researchers and clinicians, serving as a vital bridge, consolidating specialist knowledge on the mechanisms, regulations, and translational techniques essential to the field.

How does this book address challenges in the field?

This book provides a resource to help the field move beyond its theoretical potential and to address practical hurdles in the clinical implementation of nanomedicines, exploring several key areas. First, we provide a comprehensive analysis of nanocarrier engineering, specifically focusing on how physicochemical properties influence the interaction with biological barriers and the optimization of targeting strategies. Then, to address translational and regulatory oversight, the book bridges the gap between the laboratory and the clinic by examining nanocarrier morphology, rigorous safety assessments, and the evolving regulatory landscape essential for clinical approval.

We also discuss the failures and limitations of nano-formulations and lay the foundations for more resilient future designs. This leads onto the need for interdisciplinary synthesis, connecting materials science, molecular biology, and pharmaceutical development to foster a holistic understanding of the field and ensure that innovation is aligned with biological reality. Finally, we lay out an in-depth comparison of active versus passive targeting mechanisms, offering strategies to minimize off-target accumulation and mitigate the systemic toxicity associated with conventional chemotherapeutic agents.

This approach encourages realistic expectations and informed innovation in the field of nanotechnology.

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What emerging techniques are driving this field forward?

There is a whole series of innovative techniques currently accelerating progress in the field. The development of sophisticated, size-optimized systems, such as stimuli-responsive and “smart” nanocarriers, designed to release their therapeutic payload in response to specific internal (pH, enzymes) or external (light, heat) triggers, is really exciting. Of course, AI is having a real impact in the field, helping to optimize formulation design and tailor treatments to individual patient profiles, ensuring higher efficacy and fewer side effects.

Gene and RNA-based nanotherapeutics have also taken great steps forward with advanced delivery platforms for siRNA, miRNA, and mRNA, facilitating stable and targeted genetic modulation for complex diseases. Meanwhile, the integration of advanced imaging agents and therapeutics within a single platform to create theranostic nanoparticles, has allowed for the real-time monitoring of drug biodistribution and treatment response.

Another field that has driven nanotherapeutics forward is the rapidly evolving biomimetic model space. The adoption of organ-on-chip and 3D tumor spheroids to provide a more physiologically relevant environment for predicting clinical performance of nanocarriers, has significantly reduced the reliance on traditional animal models, removing regulatory and ethical hurdles and saving time in the preclinical testing phase of novel nanotherapeutic candidates.

These advancements are fundamentally reshaping how nanomedicines are engineered and evaluated, bridging the gap between benchtop research and clinical reality.

Do you have any advice for using these techniques?

The most critical advice for researchers is to prioritize clinical translatability over structural complexity. Simpler, scalable delivery systems built on established, well-understood manufacturing processes, possess a much higher probability of successful clinical translation.

Research efforts should move away from idealistic models in favor of robust characterization, rigorous reproducibility, and safety profiles that accurately reflect the complex biology of human tumors. Furthermore, there is a clear strategic shift toward active targeting mechanisms; by utilising specific ligands to bind to overexpressed tumor receptors, these systems can significantly bypass the non-specific, systemic toxicities associated with traditional chemotherapeutic agents and passive delivery.

What impact do you hope the book will have, and where do you see this field in the next 10 years?

It is my sincere hope that this book serves as both a definitive reference and a strategic roadmap for students, researchers,  and industry professionals in the field of cancer nanomedicine. Our goal is to foster a culture of thoughtful design, interdisciplinary synergy, and a translational mindset, moving beyond the bench to solve real-world clinical challenges.

Nanomedicine is poised to transition from a specialized niche into a cornerstone of mainstream oncology. Over the next 10 years, I anticipate the field will coalesce around several transformative pillars: validated nanofabrication, shifting toward standardized, scalable, and clinically compliant manufacturing processes; personalized & precision systems, which integrate patient-specific data to tailor nanotherapeutic interventions; next-generation combinations, driven by a deeper convergence with immunotherapy and gene-silencing technologies; a refining of the regulatory landscapes, through the establishment of harmonized, nanomedicine-specific frameworks to streamline clinical approval; a renewed focus on patient-centric outcomes, improving quality of life through high-precision delivery and reduced systemic burden; and finally the delivery of truly sophisticated active targeting, to move beyond the EPR effect to utilize ligand-mediated delivery for superior tumor penetration and cellular uptake.

Authors:

Imran Saleem (left) is a Professor in Nanomedicine in the School of Pharmacy & Biomolecular Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU; UK), where he works as the Group Leader for the Nanomedicine, Formulation and Delivery Research Group, which undertakes cutting-edge research into polymer and lipid-based nanocarrier systems. His work focuses on overcoming biological barriers to deliver macromolecules – including proteins, peptides, and miRNA – specifically via the pulmonary route. These innovations aim to transform the treatment of lung diseases such as cancer, as well as advancing both preventative and therapeutic vaccinations.

Ahmed AH Abdellatif (right) is a Professor of Pharmaceutics at the College of Pharmacy, Qassim University (Buraydah, Saudi Arabia). His research. He leads a specialized laboratory that operates at the intersection of nanotechnology, oncology, and pharmaceutical sciences in order to design, formulate, and characterize advanced nanomedicines. His work focuses on enhancing therapeutic outcomes through active cancer targeting and the green synthesis of metallic nanostructures. By integrating materials science with biological assessment, he aims to develop translational nanocarriers that overcome the limitations of current cancer therapies.

You can purchase the book here: Nanomedicine and Applications in Cancer: A Complete Guide to Nanomedicine and Cancer Applications.

Use the code: BioTechniqeus for a 25% discount