- New classes of materials allow for diversity (e.g. iron oxide instead of gadolinium)
- New imaging modalities (e.g. fluorescence) possible
- Multimodal imaging
- Theranostics
- Control over tissue distribution (i.e. targeting)
- Longer circulation time and control over pharmacokinetics through design parameters
|
- Poorly understood interactions between nanomaterials and biological systems
- Challenges in scale-up to consistent large-scale manufacturing
- Concerns regarding materials stability during storage (e.g. aggregation, degradation)
- Potential issues with bio-accumulation due to inability to metabolize and excrete large particles
- Potential for toxic breakdown products (e.g. Cd from CdSe quantum dots); study of nano-toxicology is quite complex
- Regulatory barriers
|
