Drug Invention Today Vol.2.Issue 5.May 2010 Pranati Srivastava et al. / Drug Invention Today 2010, 2(5),254-257 254-257 Review Article Available online through www.ditonline.info * Corresponding author. Pranati Srivastava, M Pharma (Research Scholar), Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology, Bypass Road- Baghpat Crossing, Meerut – 250005, Uttar Pradesh, India Tel.: + 91-9452962662 E-mail:pranatiparul@gmail.com INTRODUCTION Scientists are using nanotechnology to approach classical and novel drug delivery applications. Nanoparticle based delivery system shall allow faster drug absorption, controlled dosage release into the human body and would have other unique properties of minimizing side-effects by eliminating requirement of co-solvent as in use in conventional dosage form. 1,2 Further, drugs that have side-effects due to triggering an immune system response can be encapsulated in nanoparticle coating and prevent immune system from recog- nizing and reacting to a foreign substance. 3 The multidisciplinary field of nanotechnology’s application for discovering new molecules and manipulating those available naturally for the sake of human health and benefit could be dazzling in its potential to improve health care. 4,5 Regarding applications to medicine and physiology, these materials and devices can be designed to inter- act with cells and tissues at a molecular (i.e., sub cellular) level with a high degree of functional specificity, and thus allowing a degree of integration between technology and biological systems not previously attainable. 6 Nanotechnology is thus an enabling technology which in some way will have an impact on several of the currently emerging medical technologies. The potential power of Nanotechnology: Application and Market * Pranati Srivastava, Rishabha Malviya, Koushal Dhamija, Sumedha Gupta, Pramod Kumar Sharma Department of Pharmaceutical Technology,Meerut Institute of Engineering & Technology, N.H. 58, Baghpat road-bypass crossing, Meerut (U.P.), India Received on: 15-01-2010; Revised on: 15-03- 2010; Accepted on:15-04-2010 ABSTRACT Nanotechnology is the study or application of any matter or knowledge at the 1-100 nanometer scale. Nano-development could benefit human health, environmental remediation methods, technology and many other fields. Because the emerging, cross-disciplinary field of nanotechnology incorporates chemistry, biology, and other such materials and physical sciences, medicine and engineering, one identified issue of nano-development is the challenge of successful communication among researchers of diverse disciplinary backgrounds. Particles in this size range are resistant to settling and shall have higher saturation solubility, rapid dissolution, and relatively enhanced adhesion to biological surfaces, thereby providing a rapid onset of therapeutic action and consequently improved bioavailability. Some of these products have entered the marketplace or are about of doing so, and others remain more a vision that a reality. The potential for these innovations is enormous, but question remains about their long term safety and the risk–benefit characteristics of their usage and application. Nanotechnology along with biotechnology and bioinformatics constitutes the basis of 21st Century therapeutics with joint ventures and collaborations between academic, government and industry. Demand for nanotechnology in health care products is expected to jump 58% annually through 2010, led by improved cancer and central nervous system therapies using nanotechnology. With at least 12 nanomedicines already approved and progressively more are to do so, the next five years should see a steady succession of new nanotech-based drugs, imaging agents, and diagnostic products entering the marketplace. Nanomedicine markets will be complex and competitive as well as more targetting since companies employ nanotechnology to extend patent term, exclusivity, and market life. Impediments to nanotechnology commercialization include the creation of effective strategies and planning to untangle complicated intellectual property situations, the effective licensing and commercialization of nanotech products, and the better understanding of safety, health, and environmental risks. Reflecting these advantages and new offerings, demand for nanodiagnostic products is projected to increase over 13 percent per year to 2011 and continue rising at a double digit annual pace through 2021 as per the data collected. This review thus brings into focus the various aspects of nanotechnology, their applications and limelight’s the market value in the present scenario. Keywords: Nanotechnology, nanomedicines, nanodevelopment, nanomarket ISSN: 0975-7619 novel nanotechnology applications on disease diagnosis, therapy, and preven- tion is foreseen to change health care in a fundamental way. 7 In particular; relevant nanomedical applications are reported in surgery, cancer diagnosis and therapy, biodetection of disease markers, molecular imaging, implant technol- ogy and tissue engineering, and the devices for drug, protein, and gene delivery. An ever since increasing number of products are currently under clinical inves- tigation and some products are already commercially available. 8, 9, 10 Applications of nanotechnology: In particular, the understanding of the human body in such an unex- ampled level of detail opens up the new possibilities of targeting and fighting diseases with extreme accuracy not only in the acute or chronic phases but even at the pre-symptomatic stage. Nanomedicine, defined as the application of nanotechnology to health, offers the potential of novel and often unprecedented solutions across the whole medical sector, at present targeting widespread and complex illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, multiple sclerosis, alzheimer’s and parkinson’s disease, diabetes or infections like HIV 11,12,13 . The most advanced areas of nanomedicine today are already in use or undergoing clinical trials, including nanotechnology-based targeted drug delivery systems or an array of nanoparticle-enabled diagnostics such as that in case of cancer diagnosis 14 . These novel tools hold the potential of detecting and/or eliminating the onset of disease at the level of unit cell 15 . Its approaches are widespread as in surgery, cancer diagnosis and therapy, bio-detection of molecular disease