Non invasive therapies of the future: micro and nano-systems for diagnosis and therapy

The rapid growth and diffusion experienced by minimally invasive therapies (MIT), in recent years, is receiving a further, very significant, boost by the introduction of new nanotechnology-based techniques in the fields of medical imaging and localized therapeutic delivery. The innovative concept of "nanomedicine" is emerging, with its potential to revolutionize the entire disease management process, from diagnosis, through therapy, to serial follow-up. Latest developments in the field of cellular and molecular imaging, in fact, promise to allow non-invasive detection of the molecular components of pathologic processes, thanks to the employment of nanoparticulate contrast agents that can be targeted to specific cells and locations within the body. Moreover, disease-targeted nanoparticles can be also loaded with specific therapeutic agents (drugs or genes) to be released only on diseased areas, so improving therapy effectiveness and decreasing side effects. Recent nanotechnological applications in the field of diagnostic cellular and molecular imaging with nonionizing techniques and new disease-specific contrast agents are reviewed in this chapter, together with the most promising ways to employ site-targeted nanoparticles for therapeutic purposes, with special focus on innovative strategies for selective cancer treatment.