National Academies Press: OpenBook

Nanotechnology and Oncology: Workshop Summary (2011)

Chapter: 8 Concluding Remarks

« Previous: 7 Additional Challenges
Suggested Citation:"8 Concluding Remarks." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Nanotechnology and Oncology: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13037.
×

8

Concluding Remarks

After a day and a half of lively presentations and discussions, it was apparent that nanotechnology was a promising set of technologies that had already penetrated the cancer arena, and was likely to make a much bigger impact in the field in the future. There was an acknowledgement by many that much more needs to be understood about nanotechnologies to commercialize them and ensure their safety and effectiveness. Additional challenges may impede progress in bringing nanotechnologies into the clinic, including public wariness of such innovative materials, a lack of nanotechnology manufacturing and testing standards, and gaps in regulation.

But because of the unique properties of nanomaterials that make them more likely to concentrate in tumors, penetrate various biological barriers that conventional small molecules cannot cross, and safely encapsulate toxic medicines and carry large payloads, the most common opinion seemed to be that nanotechnology would improve oncology. Jim Heath echoed this sentiment when he said, “I think it is worth noting that every application that I know of in nanotherapeutics that has gone into people, the net result has been to decrease toxicity. We talk about all these [challenges], but the headline should be that we have been able to engineer away toxicity to a great extent. That is something that should be celebrated in this field.”

Suggested Citation:"8 Concluding Remarks." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Nanotechnology and Oncology: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13037.
×

This page intentionally left blank.

Suggested Citation:"8 Concluding Remarks." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Nanotechnology and Oncology: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13037.
×
Page 67
Suggested Citation:"8 Concluding Remarks." Institute of Medicine. 2011. Nanotechnology and Oncology: Workshop Summary. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/13037.
×
Page 68
Next: References »
Nanotechnology and Oncology: Workshop Summary Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $31.00 Buy Ebook | $24.99
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

One way scientists are working to overcome challenges in cancer treatment and improve cancer care is through nanotechnology. Nanotechnology, engineered materials that make use of the unique physical properties, presents a new array of medical prospects that will revolutionize cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment practices. Giving new hope to patients, practitioners, and researchers alike, nanotechnology has the potential to translate recent discoveries in cancer biology into clinical advances in oncology. While public investments in nanotechnology for cancer continue to increase, medical products based on nanotechnology are already on the market.

The National Cancer Policy forum held a workshop July 12-13, 2010, to explore challenges in the use of nanotechnology in oncology. Nanotechnology and Oncology evaluates the ongoing discussion on the role of nanotechnology in cancer as it relates to risk management, treatment, and regulatory policy. Assessments on nanomedicine and the physical properties of nanomaterials were presented during the workshop, along with an appraisal of the current status of research and development efforts.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!