Nanotechnology-based therapeutics, operating at scales of billionths of a metre, have great potential for future expansion in altering the scale and methods of drug delivery. The availability of these novel formulations to once-inaccessible areas of the body has greatly expanded the therapeutic window of existing drug molecules. Nanoparticulate drug delivery highlights and examines the transition of nanoparticulate drug delivery systems from the laboratory into a commercially viable sector. The first chapters of the book provide an overview of the use and characterization of nanoparticulate systems as drug carriers, including the assessment of their morphology, sterility and potential toxicity. In the latter part of the book, chapters cover nanotoxicology, regulatory aspect and clinical trials, ending with an overview of several case studies and a look towards future developments.

Author Biography

Vandana Patravale is a Professor of Pharmaceutics at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India. Her research group is actively involved in the design and development of colloidal drug delivery systems for various routes including oral, topical, transdermal, nasal and parenteral. Prajakta Dandekar is the first female Indian scientist to be award the European Respiratory Society - Marie Curie Joint Postdoctoral Fellowship and is currently a guest scientist at the Department of Drug Delivery, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Germany. Her research interests include the design of polymeric nanoparticles of novel polymers for application in siRNA delivery and gene therapy. Ratnesh Jain has been awarded the Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellowship by the AvH Foundation and is currently a guest scientist at the Department of Drug Delivery, Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS), Germany. His research interests include design of nanoparticles of commercial cationic polymers for application in siRNA delivery and gene therapy.