An aging population and poor clinical solutions for several diseases have
propelled the rapid emergence of nanotherapeutics. Advanced drug delivery has turned
out to be an important aspect of the medical field. A targeted delivery system transports
the drug to the place of action hence, minimizing its adverse side effects on other vital
tissues. Cell-specific targeting can be achieved by coupling drugs to specially framed
carriers. Various nanoparticles, including solid lipid nanoparticles, nanosuspensions,
nanoliposomes, micelles, polymeric nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles, dendrimers,
carbon nanotubes, and fullerenes have been developed as carriers in drug delivery
systems. In this chapter, the aforementioned nanocarriers and their clinical milestones
achieved in various arenas including cancer, CNS disorder, rheumatoid arthritis,
thyroid, cardiac diseases, ocular drug delivery, and vaccines so far, are scrutinized.
This chapter outlines the current status of pharmacological and clinical studies of
nanoparticles in the development process.
Keywords: Alzheimer`s disease, Cancer, Carbon nanotubes, Central nervous
system, Clinical trials, Drug delivery, Fullerenes, Magnetic nanoparticles,
Nanosuspensions, Nanoparticles, Nanoliposomes, Parkinson’s disease, Vaccine.
