title: Silica nanoparticles as promising drug/gene delivery carriers and fluorescent nano-probes: recent advances.
abstract: The application of nanotechnology to biomedical research is expected to have a major impact leading to the development of new types of diagnostic and therapeutic tools. One focus in nanobiotechnology is to develop safe and efficient drug/gene delivery vehicles. Research into the rational delivery and targeting of pharmaceutical, therapeutic and diagnostic agents is at the forefront of projects in nanomedicine. Silica, as a major and natural component of sand and glass, is a versatile material due to the variety of available chemical and physical modifications that are available, and recently have been widely applied in nanobiotechnology as drug/gene carriers or fluorescent nano-probes. The goal of this brief review is to illustrate selected examples of various functionalized silica nanoparticles as drug/gene delivery systems that have been applied to the arenas of human disease therapy or detection (molecular and cellular imaging).
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 610054, Sichuan, P.R. China. liuyiyao@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Yiyao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Changchun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Mengran
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000639:trends*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques / Q000639:trends*; D006801:Humans; D050997:Nanomedicine / Q000639:trends*; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000639:trends; D012822:Silicon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D012822:Silicon Dioxide