Our book is aimed at providing students, professors, physicians and research scientists at universities, research laboratories, hospitals and drug companies with the latest developments in the very broad and fertile field of nanomedicine. Nanomedicine research and development utilizes the unique nanoscale properties of particles and certain molecules for diagnosis, delivery, sensing and actuation of treatment of diseases. These nanostructures very in size from 1 to 100 nm. Such structures have unique abilities for delivery of drugs to and into diseased cells allowing for less dosage and side effects, as well as unique abilities in diagnostics because of their distinct optical, magnetic and structural properties. Ultimately it may be possible to develop nanorobots and nanodevices that even more effectively may be applied in both diagnosis and repair of diseased cells and tissues. All of these approaches and advances are covered in our book.

Our book is divided into five sections describing the advances in Nanomedical Laboratory Techniques, Nanoscale Devices, Pharmaceuticals Delivery, Cancer Treatment and Tissue Engineering.

The Nanomedical Laboratory Techniques section includes recent approaches using microfluidic technology to accelerate the clinical translation of nanomedicine devices and drug complexes. The microfluidic technologies constitute a novel platform capable of replacing the entire nanomedicine production process in a scalable manner. Fabrication and utilization of nanocrystals or quantum dots for more accurate identification of diseases as well as drug carriers is covered. Special attention is given to clearing of nanoparticles from the body after use as well as any possible toxicity.

The Nanoscale Devices section ranges from DNA origami used to design and fabricate an autonomous, logic-guided DNA origami nanorobot, which can be programmed to transport molecular payloads between selected points of origin and target, and can be loaded with a variety of cargoes including small molecules, drugs, proteins, and small (<30–35 nm) nanoparticles; to synthetic gene circuits that allow the engineering of biological embedded computing devices; as well as electrodes that can easily be miniaturized to micron size, or even to nanometer size. Graphene is currently a ``shining star'' in nanomedicine on account of its good biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, and ease of functionalization. The unique applications of graphene and its derivatives in biosensing, bioimaging, therapeutics, and genetic engineering are discussed.

The Pharmaceuticals Delivery section includes reviews of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) that can be applied as versatile biopharmaceutical delivery systems due to their high drug‐loading capacity, excellent cell-penetrating ability, and customizable surface chemistry. CNTs synthesis, functionalization, and application is presented including transport of peptides and proteins, antibodies and nucleic acids (e.g. siRNA) into cells for therapy. Many other nano-delivery systems are covered including cholesterol, and a wide range of nanoparticle conjugates. In addition, a major problem in application of NPs systems is addressed and this is that the first major barrier that NPs encounter after entering the body is the innate immune system. Before reaching the target sites, NPs are readily cleared by macrophages in the liver and spleen. To overcome the rapid body clearance and minimize the immune recognition of NPs using different chemical or physical surface modifications, the mechanisms of NP interaction with the immune system is addressed in detail as are methods to overcome this barrier.

The Cancer Treatment Section applies NPs and NP derivatives to the diagnosis and treatment of various types of cancer. Nanomedicine is a major potential effector of the theranostics or specific targeted therapy approach. More specifically, the goal is to unite diagnostic and therapeutic individualized treatment to provide diagnosis, drug delivery and treatment response monitoring. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) conjugated to antibodies, silica-based NPs and others are discussed. Brain cancer therapy has become a huge challenge compared with peripheral cancers because of the physiological characteristic of the brain-blood barrier (BBB), which prevents most therapeutic drugs from reaching the cancer tissues. For years, efforts have been made in nanotechnology, especially employing nanoparticles (NPs), to overcome this limitation. This section covers research aimed at focusing on three elements, namely functionalization, targeting, and imaging, to fabricate smart nanoparticles that are capable of crossing the BBB, can respond to multiple internal or external stimuli, and deliver therapeutic or diagnostic agents to cancer cells through systemic administration. We also review approaches to utilizing RNA interference (RNAi), a ubiquitous cellular pathway of post-transcriptional gene regulation, that provides an intriguing tool for an innovative rational cancer drug design. Among the endogenous mediators of RNAi, microRNAs (miRNAs) represent the most important class of small RNAs whose global dysregulation is a typical feature of human tumors. Harnessing of the RNAi machinery by using small, synthetic RNAs that target, or mimic endogenous miRNAs offers the opportunity to reach virtually any gene and pathway relevant to tumor maintenance.

The Tissue Engineering Section focuses on the use of cellular and material-based therapies aimed at targeted tissue regeneration caused by traumatic, degenerative, and genetic disorders. Current treatments for bone injuries and defects that will not spontaneously heal employ replacement rather than regeneration, which is accompanied by long-term complications. In this chapter, attention is focused on state-of-the-art research techniques and materials that are aimed at alleviating these complications by inducing bone-healing rather than bone-substitution; specifically, the use of nanoscale materials and surface modifications in order to closely mimic the microenvironment of bone. Today, these nanoscale technologies are coming to the forefront in medicine because of their biocompatibility, tissue-specificity, and integration and ability to act as therapeutic carriers. Nanoparticles and nanotubes investigated or proposed include nanoscale ceramics, titanium nanotubes, graphene and graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), and iron oxide as well as derivatives. Techniques for producing bionanomaterials and structures are reviewed including 3D printing, Micropatterning, Nanopatterning, and Lithography, as well as Chemical Etching and Vapor Deposition.

Palm Desert, California, June 2019