Functionalized Nanoplatforms as Promising Diagnostic and Theranostic Tools for Nanomedicine

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the development of functionalized nanosystems for application in diagnostic or theranostics medicine. In particular, nanotheranostics combine diagnosis and therapy in a single system for noninvasive imaging, targeting, assessment and real-time monitoring the response to chemo-and radiotherapy without affecting surrounding healthy cells.

The techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET) combined to Computed Tomography (PET-CT) or MRI and optical/optoacoustic imaging are the most applied imaging modalities for diagnosis providing high resolution anatomical images of physiological and biochemical processes. Monitoring treatment of cancer and other diseases such as neurodegenerative, autoimmune (particularly on rheumatoid arthritis), bacterial infection and cardiovascular diseases has a central role in the management of patients by defining better the duration and type of therapy, the degree of regression of pathology and finally to markedly improve efficacy. Nanotheranostic systems are consequently considered to be highly suitable systems to realize the potential of “personalized medicine”, and to develop more effective and less toxic treatment regimens for individual patients.

Generally, diagnostic or theranostic nanomaterials can be made up of different chemical constructs: the nanoplatform, the targeting moiety (for specific cellular binding), the therapeutic and diagnostic agents (i.e., MRI contrast agent, radiotracer, fluorophore, etc,.) and the polymer coating or matrix that imparts colloidal stability and provides functional groups for bioconjugation. Nanomaterials can be broadly categorized according to their composition, such as inorganic, organic or hybrid nanoparticles. Ideally, after the controlled release of encapsulated chemo o radiotherapy drugs, the residual nanomaterials will be safely degraded and excreted from the body.

This Special Issue will compile publications addressing the main challenges in developing new nanomaterials applied to nanomedicine with high biocompatibility and biodegradability for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. The topics include the design and evaluation of diagnostic and theranostic nanomaterials with increased efficacy and specificity associated to decreased toxicity. In addition, the synthetic chemical approaches required for the incorporation of high-affinity targeting ligands (peptides, antibodies, small molecules) enhancing the affinity and selectivity towards pathological sites as well as for conjugation of metal-based probes to the nanoparticle surface are the focus of the special issue. 

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

• Preparation of novel nanosystems for application in diagnostic or theranostics medicine to simultaneously monitor drug distribution, release and to evaluate therapeutic efficacy noninvasively and in real-time.
• Preparation of novel nanomaterials for drug delivery, gene delivery, chemo- or radiotherapy and photodynamic therapy, combined with imaging agents for magnetic resonance imaging, radionuclide imaging, and fluorescence/optoacoustic imaging.

Special attention will be given to review articles or original contributions focusing on nanoparticles which possess excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability and which possess the ability to accumulate at specific disease sites through active targeting by the incorporation of targeting moieties specific for a receptor or cell surface ligand at the region of interest.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Rachele Stefania
Guest Editor

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• nanomedicines
• nanotheranostics
• nanomaterials
• drug delivery
• drug targeting
• molecular imaging
• liposomes
• polymers
• micelles
• biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles
• MRI,
• PET-CT,
• PET-MRI
• SPECT-CT
• OI
• optoacoustic imaging
• (radio)metal-chelates, radiotherapy, photosensitizer, conjugation and chemical functionalization