Director’s Message
The establishment of the NUS Nanomedicine Translational Research Program (TRP) is a strategic initiative that aims to advance the field of nanomedicine, focusing on the development of nanomedical technologies based on nanoparticles. The program seeks to harness the potential of nanotechnology to improve diagnostics and targeted drug delivery in medicine, leading to more precise and effective treatments while minimizing the impact of healthy tissues and organs in the body. This program aims to develop the: Nanoparticle-Based Diagnostics, Targeted Drug Delivery, Therapeutic Efficacy and Safety, Interdisciplinary collaboration, Preclinical and Clinical Translation, and Ethical Considerations and Safety. By leveraging nanotechnology for advanced diagnostics and targeted drug delivery, the program holds great promise for revolutionizing medical treatments and significantly improving patient outcomes.
THE MESSAGE
Background and Clinical Significance
Nanomedicine involves the use of nanoscale materials for diagnosis, delivery, sensing or actuation purposes in a living organism. Nanomedicine has the potential to revolutionize the way we detect and treat damage to the human body. Although nanomedicines have demonstrated significant therapeutic advantages for a multitude of medical applications, their translation has not progressed as rapidly as the plethora of positive preclinical results would have suggested.
The experimental development of nanomedicines is continually progressing at a fast pace, however, significant challenges still exist in promoting these platforms into clinically feasible therapies. Therefore, continued translational success will require communication and collaboration between experts involved in all stages of pharmaceutical development of nanotechnologies, including pharmaceutical design and manufacturing, cellular interactions and toxicology & preclinical and clinical evaluation.