Neha Sharma

By Neha Sharma

The chapter deals with the application of iron oxide nanoparticles in the field of medicine. It focuses on the treatment of cancerous cells in the body as a case study. Cancer as we all know is a disease which is spreading at the speed of light across the nations, primarily due to the lifestyles and heredity. The human war against the disease is on, and many cures are in practice or under research, so as to limit the deaths due to it. Most of the research is focused on finding alternative and effective techniques in conquering cancer, so that the stigma attached with it can be diminished; the researchers are also focusing on lowering the side effects of the currently practiced cures. We all hope that a day will come when it will come under the category of conquerable diseases. It has been shown that cancer deaths in the world have declined considerably, but it is still unconquerable. It is still one of the leading causes of death around the globe. Usual therapy like radiation, surgery, and immunotherapy in addition to chemotherapy has shown challenges like ease of access to the tumor cells, danger of operating on a vital organ to name some. Off late, research laboratories are using nanoparticles for the detection in addition to drug delivery in treatment of various diseases. It gives boost to minimizing the side effects encountered in conventional therapies at the cellular and tissue level. Nanoparticles’ widespread use is accounted by their size.

Part of the book: Mineralogy