Mechanisms of Cooperation in Cancer Nanomedicine: Towards Systems Nanotechnology

Sabine Hauert et. al

Abstract- Nanoparticles are designed to selectively deliver therapeutics and diagnostics to tumors. Their size, shape, charge, material, coating and cargo, determine their individual functionalities. A systems approach could help predict the behavior of trillions of nanoparticles interacting in complex tumor environments. Engineering these nanosystems may lead to biomimetic strategies where interactions between nanoparticles and their environment give rise to cooperative behaviors typically seen in natural self-organized systems. Examples include nanoparticles that communicate the location of a tumor to amplify tumor homing, or self-assemble and disassemble to optimize nanoparticle transport. The challenge is to discover which nanoparticle designs lead to a desired systems behavior. To this end, novel nanomaterials, deep biological understanding, and computational tools are emerging as the next frontier.

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