Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine
Volume 6, Issue 2 , Pages 237-244, April 2010

Nanodelivery in airway diseases: Challenges and therapeutic applications

  • Indrajit Roy, MS, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Institute for Lasers, Photonics and Biophotonics, Department of Chemistry, State University of New York, Buffalo, New York, USA
    • ,
  • Neeraj Vij, MS, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pediatric Respiratory Sciences and Institute of NanoBioTechnology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author: Baltimore, MD 21287, USA.

Received 23 March 2009; accepted 4 July 2009. published online 21 July 2009.

Abstract 

This review describes the challenges and therapeutic applications of nanodelivery systems for treatment of airway diseases. Therapeutic applications of nanodelivery in airway diseases involve targeted delivery of DNA, short interfering RNA, drugs, or peptides to hematopoietic progenitor cells and pulmonary epithelium to control chronic pathophysiology of obstructive and conformational disorders. The major challenges to nanodelivery involve physiologic barriers such as mucus and alveolar fluid. It is necessary for the nanoparticles to be biodegradable and capable of providing sustained drug delivery to the selected cell type. Once inside the cell, the nanoparticle should be capable of escaping the endocytic degradation machinery. In addition, for effective gene delivery, nuclear entry and chromosomal integration are critical. The strategies to overcome these pathophysiologic barriers are discussed as an attempt to synchronize the efforts of pulmonary biologists, chemists, and clinicians to develop novel nanodelivery therapeutics for airway diseases.

From the Clinical Editor

Therapeutic applications of nano-delivery in airway diseases involve targeted delivery of DNA, siRNA, drugs or peptides to hematopoietic progenitor cells and pulmonary epithelium. These nano-particles must be biodegradable, capable of providing sustained drug delivery to specific cells, and should escape the endocytic degradation machinery. For effective gene-delivery they should also provide nuclear entry and chromosomal integration.

Key words: Airway diseases and therapeutics, Drug delivery, Gene therapy, Nanodelivery

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 The authors are supported by grants R025-CR07 and VIJ07IO from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and by National Institutes of Health grants CTSA UL RR 025005 and RHL096931 (N.V.). The funders had no role in the decision to publish or in preparation of the manuscript.

PII: S1549-9634(09)00114-2

doi:10.1016/j.nano.2009.07.001

Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine
Volume 6, Issue 2 , Pages 237-244, April 2010

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