About this Research Topic
The incidence of diseases of the respiratory tract continues to grow and this has led to increased awareness, diagnosis, and treatment of those diseases worldwide. New tools are needed to develop the capability for earlier diagnosis of lung disease, which may enable the use of therapeutic interventions at earlier stages of the disease. New therapeutic interventions are also needed to correct lung function or delay further disease progression. Compared to oral or injectable treatments, inhaled medications enable the delivery of high doses of drug to the site of disease, the lung, while reducing systemic drug exposure and thus reducing the potential for systemic side effects. Conventional inhalation systems utilize either dry powder inhalers, metered dose inhalers, soft mist inhalers or nebulizers, and many sophisticated formulation strategies can be accommodated within these formats; these include the application of nanotechnology to improve the safety and efficacy of existing therapies. For example, an inhaled liposomal amikacin formulation is now being used by patients to enable more efficient targeting of intracellular pathogens within the macrophages. Nanotechnology strategies may offer innovative approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases, as they can effectively transport and deliver imaging probes to the targeted sites. Various nanotechnology approaches may be utilized to treat these diseases; e.g., formulating a porous structure, mucoadhesive particulate system, sustained release nano and microparticles, etc. Nanotechnology may also facilitate the systemic administration of various drugs and biopharmaceuticals delivered through the lungs.
Thus, the aim of this Research Topic is to collect original research articles, review articles, and short communications on the applications of nanotechnology to the diagnosis or treatment of lung diseases including the development and characterization of nanoformulation approaches to improve the treatment of common and rare respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, bronchiectasis, tuberculosis, emphysema, lung cancer, occupational lung diseases, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and pulmonary hypertension due to interstitial lung disease.
Thus, the aim of this Research Topic is to collect original research articles, review articles, and short communications on the applications of nanotechnology to the diagnosis or treatment of lung diseases including the development and characterization of nanoformulation approaches to improve the treatment of common and rare respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, cystic fibrosis, pneumonia, bronchiectasis, tuberculosis, emphysema, lung cancer, occupational lung diseases, pulmonary arterial hypertension, and pulmonary hypertension due to interstitial lung disease.
Keywords: Respiratory diseases, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, modern approaches, nanomedicines, drug delivery
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