Trends in Nanotechnology for in vivo Cancer Diagnosis: Products and Patents

Abstract

Background: Cancer is a set of diseases formed by abnormal growth of cells leading to the formation of the tumor. The diagnosis can be made through symptoms’ evaluation or imaging tests, however, the techniques are limited and the tumor detection may be late. Thus, pharmaceutical nanotechnology has emerged to optimize the cancer diagnosis through nanostructured contrast agent’s development. Objective: This review aims to identify commercialized nanomedicines and patents for cancer diagnosis. Methods: The databases used for scientific articles research were Pubmed, Science Direct, Scielo and Lilacs. Research on companies’ websites and articles for the recognition of commercial nanomedicines was performed. The Derwent tool was applied for patent research. Results: This article aimed to research on nanosystems based on nanoparticles, dendrimers, liposomes, composites and quantum dots, associated to imaging techniques. Commercialized products based on metal and composite nanoparticles, associated with magnetic resonance and computed tomography, have been observed. The research conducted through Derwent tool displayed a small number of patents using nanotechnology for cancer diagnosis. Among these patents, the most significant number was related to the use of systems based on metal nanoparticles, composites and quantum dots. Conclusion: Although few systems are found in the market and patented, nanotechnology appears as a promising field for the development of new nanosystems in order to optimize and accelerate the cancer diagnosis.