Design of nanodiamond based drug delivery patch for cancer therapeutics and imaging applications

Abstract

The onset and recurrence of cancer is one of the major biomedical quandaries of our time. Currently, surgically removed tumors often leave behind a residual cancer cell population. As not all cancer cells can be detected to ensure complete tumor removal, systemic and widespread chemotherapy is usually injected into the-bloodstream to attempt to target the remaining cancer cells. This can result in-devastating side effects because the cancer drugs flow freely throughout the bloodstream with a reduced ability to target-specific regions. This treatment kills both healthy and unhealthy cells, and thus the quality of life of cancer patients is significantly reduced.