Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer

J. Jayabarath*¹,T. Karthick², M. Aniskumar^2, E.Menaga², A. Catherin Sangeetha², R. Yuvashri, K. Gobika 
Head*¹, Asst. Professor², Department of Biotechnology, Pasvendar Bharathidasan College of Engineering and Technology, Mathur, Trichy-24, India
NCADDD, 25 July 2014, Organized by Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, Anna University, BIT Campus, Tiruchirappalli–620024, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract
During the last decade, significant scientific research efforts have led to a significant growth in understanding of cancer at the genetic, molecular, and cellular levels providing great opportunities for diagnosis and treatment of cancer diseases. The hopes for fast cancer diagnosis and treatment were significantly increased by the entrance of nanoparticles to the medical sciences. Nanoparticles are attractive due to their unique opportunities together with negligible side effects not only in cancer therapy but also in the treatment of other ailments. Among all types of nanoparticles, surface-engineered super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have been attracted a great attention for cancer therapy applications. This review covers the recent advances in the development of SPIONs together with their opportunities and challenges, as theranosis agents, in cancer treatment.
Keywords: Super-paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), cancer therapy, theranosis agents.