Next Generation Nanomedicine: Green Synthesis and Applications

Nanomedicine is a dynamic, interdisciplinary field that integrates nanotechnology, biology, and medicine to harness nanoscale materials and devices for a wide range of biomedical purposes, where it utilises innovative nanostructures for diagnosis and therapy. A major emphasis is placed on advanced therapeutic approaches, such as: enzyme-modified nanodrugs; metal and metal oxide nanostructures for drug delivery; and carbon-based or polymeric carriers for the triggered release of drugs, with stimulus-responsive drug release being a key area of research. In addition to diagnostics and therapies, nanomedicine contributes significantly to regenerative medicine facilitating tissue repair, wound healing, and organ regeneration through 3D and 4D bioprinting, with the progress in nanobiomaterials, particularly for treating ischemic conditions and supporting tissue engineering and cellular remodeling, being noteworthy. The nanomedicine field has continued to evolve with innovations like: smart medical implants made from functionalized carbon nanostructures; immune-modulating nanomaterials; magnetic nanostructures for cancer diagnostics and treatment; and nanohybrids designed to detect and combat infectious diseases, all highlighting nanomedicine’s revolutionary impact on modern healthcare.

By engineering biomaterials with tailored surface chemistry, biocompatibility, and tunable mechanical or chemical properties, nanomedicine seeks to achieve targeted therapeutic delivery, minimize systemic toxicity, and bypass biological barriers such as the blood–brain barrier, immune surveillance, and poor vascularization. Nanostructures such as metal and metal oxide nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, dendrimers, and carbon-based carriers are being optimized for enhanced biodistribution and cell-specific targeting, while functionalization with enzymes, antibodies, or ligands enhances receptor-mediated uptake and therapeutic precision. A core objective of this precision involves developing stimuli-responsive systems that enable spatially and temporally controlled drug release in response to internal cues like pH, oxidative stress, or enzymatic activity.

Nanomedicine further aims to enhance diagnostic capabilities through biosensing platforms and multimodal imaging agents, including graphdiyne-based biosensors and magnetic nanomaterials. Simultaneously, advances in 3D-4D bioprinting, bioactive scaffolds, and immunomodulatory nanostructures facilitate tissue regeneration and repair. Nanomedicine aspires to create intelligent, adaptive solutions that align with the complexity of human biology, ultimately advancing precision medicine and improving patient outcomes, by addressing conditions such as infectious diseases, ischemic injury, and metastatic cancers. Thus, this special issue will cover the recent advances in promising nanomedicine from various research groups around the globe.

We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:

• Doped nanoparticles for antimicrobial activity
• Nanocomposites for cancer treatment.
• Nanozymes for therapeutic applications.
• Nanosensors for disease monitoring.
• Nanomaterials for bioimaging.
• Nano-impregnated hydrogels for wound healing.
• Carbon and polymer-based biomaterials for tissue regeneration.
• Quantum dots: fabrication and biomedical applications
• Nano-based bioink for 3D and 4D bioprinting.
• Nanostructures for diagnosis, drug delivery, and bioimaging.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Mini Review
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review

Keywords: Nanomedicine, green synthesis, functionalized nanomaterials, drug delivery, antimicrobial

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.