Nanomedicines from Laboratory to Clinical Reality

Nanotechnology is a burgeoning field of study in science and engineering. Its application for cancer diagnosis, imaging, therapy, and prognosis has been a focal point of attention in nanomedicine. Due to the presence of leaky vasculature and defective lymphatic drainage in solid tumors, nanoparticles selectively accumulate in the tumor via the mechanism of the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Thus, nanoparticles are uniquely suitable for delivering diagnostic and/or imaging agents, chemo and gene drugs, and agents to enhance the activity of immunotherapy to the tumor. Nanoparticles also offer an amplification mechanism for bioanalytical detection and sensor devices for cancer markers. It is not surprising that the number of publications in cancer nanotechnology had increased rapidly to about 500-600 per year. This is strong evidence that cancer nanotechnology is already an established field of study. This conference will serve as a major forum of information exchange and personnel networking in the relaxed setting of a Gordon Research Conference. The conference program will include: tumor microenvironment; chemodrugs delivered by nanoparticles; stealth mechanism and improvement in nanoparticles; gene/siRNA delivery; immunotherapy and nano-vaccines; novel nano materials; early diagnosis of cancer; tumor imaging; clinical trials.