Nanobiomaterials for drug delivery and theranostics

Recent advances have shown that nanotechnology research is no longer restricted to drug delivery; instead, it has provided a new form of therapeutic strategy through which the personalized form of cancer treatment is possible. This chapter highlights the drug delivery and theranostic application of selective self-assembled and synthetic nanovectors engineered from organic and inorganic materials for cancer treatment. The chapter starts with a brief introduction emphasizing the role of nanomaterials in revolutionizing therapy and diagnosis (theranostics) of different life-threatening diseases including cancer, infectious, cardiovascular, autoimmune, and neurodegenerative diseases in the past two decades. It then discusses the design parameters of nanovectors used for drug delivery and theranostic applications followed by their targeting mechanisms and their off-target toxicities. An expanded discussion of the advancements in the different types of nanovectors and their structural features is included to relate it with the therapeutic efficacy of the drug used for cancer management.