Nanotechnology for the Management of Respiratory Disease

Abstract

Respiratory infections are among the leading causes of medical presentation in the United States. The most common respiratory viruses that affect humans are influenza virus, parainfluenza, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Among these, RSV is the leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants, young children, elderly, and immune-compromised populations. Hence, there is an urgent need for the development of a safe yet potent alternative to conventional antiviral therapies. Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that covers a vast and diverse array of devices derived from engineering, physics, chemistry, and biology. In nanotechnology, materials and devices that are designed to interact with the body at molecular level with a high degree of specificity are utilized. Hence, specific clinical applications can be designed to achieve maximal therapeutic efficacy with minimal side effects. In this chapter, detection and therapeutic application of nanotechnology in conjunction to RSV are discussed.