On The Chemoprevention of Petroleum Induced Carcinogenesis and The Role of Nanocatalysis

doi:10.21608/ejchem.2012.1158

On The Chemoprevention of Petroleum Induced Carcinogenesis and The Role of Nanocatalysis

10.21608/ejchem.2012.1158

Abstract

NANOTECHNOLOGY is a field which has been at the forefront

….. of research over the past decades and its full potential has yet to be fully realized. One subset of nanotechnology that has emerged is nanomedicine, which has been able to exploit the unique properties of nano-sized particles for therapeutics. This review aims to discuss the current state of nanomedicine in the field of early detection of cancer and the subsequent targeted treatment. Current cancer detection methods rely on the patient to contact their provider when they feel ill or rely on non-specific screening methods, which unfortunately results in cancers being detected only after they have become too expensive for effective treatment. Furthermore, current treatment paradigms of cancer include mainly whole body treatment with chemotherapy agents exposing the patient to medications which non-specifically kill rapidly dividing cells, leading to debilitating whole body side effects. Nanomedicine has the potential to increase the specific treatment of cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact through the use of novel nanocatalysis (nanoparticles) to seek and treat cancer in the human body. Co-polymer poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanotechnology has been approved by the FDA for the use of drug delivery, diagnostics and other applications