Multifunctional Pharmaceutical Nanocarriers

Vladimir Torchilin (auth.), Vladimir Torchilin (eds.)0387765514, 978-0-387-76551-8, 978-0-387-76554-9

Various pharmaceutical nanocarriers, such as nanospheres,nanocapsules, liposomes, micelles, cell ghosts, lipoproteins and some others are widely used for experimental (and already clinical) delivery of therapeutic and diagnostic agents. The use of nanoparticulate pharmaceutical carriers to enhance the in vivo efficiency of many drugs well established itself over the past decade both in pharmaceutical research and clinical setting. Looking into the future of the field of drug delivery, we have to think about the development of the next generation of pharmaceutical nanocarriers combining the whole variety of properties and allowing for the simultaneous performance of multiple functions. Surface modification of pharmaceutical carriers is often used to control their properties in a desirable fashion and make them to simultaneously perform several different functions. This book is all about these “futuristic” multifunctional medicines.

Key features:

-all chapters written by international leaders in the field

-offers the most recent innovations and discoveries related to nanopharmaceuticals

-detailed illustrations

-latest volume in the Fundamental Biomedical Technologies series

About the Editor:

Vladimir P. Torchilin, Ph.D., D.Sc. is a Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Director, Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Nanomedicine, Northeastern University, Boston, Mass.

Table of contents :
Front Matter….Pages i-xiii
Multifunctional Pharmaceutical Nanocarriers: Development of the Concept….Pages 1-32
Multifunctional Polymeric Nanosystems for Tumor-Targeted Delivery….Pages 33-66
Nanogels as Pharmaceutical Carriers….Pages 67-80
Multifunctional Water-Soluble Polymers for Drug Delivery….Pages 81-142
“Smart” pH-Responsive Carriers for Intracellular Delivery of Biomolecular Drugs….Pages 143-159
Stimuli-Sensitive Nanosystems: For Drug and Gene Delivery….Pages 161-199
Functionalized Dendrimers as Nanoscale Drug Carriers….Pages 201-232
Biodegradable Multitargeting Nanoconjugates for Drug Delivery….Pages 233-262
Pharmaceutical Micelles: Combining Longevity, Stability, and Stimuli Sensitivity….Pages 263-308
Multifunctional Nanotherapeutics for Cancer….Pages 309-336
Charge Modification of Pharmaceutical Nanocarriers: Biological Implications….Pages 337-362
Funtionalization of Pharmaceutical Nanocarriers for Mitochondria-Targeted Drug and DNA Delivery….Pages 363-379
Multifunctional Magnetic Nanosystems for Tumor Imaging, Targeted Delivery, and Thermal Medicine….Pages 381-408
Nanosystems for Multimodality In vivo Imaging….Pages 409-430
Long-Circulating Liposomes with Attached Diagnostic Moieties: Application for Gamma and MR Imaging….Pages 431-456
Back Matter….Pages 457-473