Josh Wolfe is managing partner of venture capital firm Lux Capital, focused upon nanotech innovation. In the latest Forbes Josh surveys a half dozen ventures developing novel drug delivery mechanisms. Some are in clinical trials.
Unfortunately, when it comes to treating cancer, modern medicine is still in its infancy. By and large, we still rely on debilitating chemotherapy regimens which take a shotgun approach to curing cancer by essentially poisoning patients in an effort to eradicate tumors.
But nanotech represents a bright spot in the fight against cancer. Researchers are increasingly turning to new, innovative therapies, based on particles measuring less than 200 nanometers. At that scale, particles passively target weaker-walled cancer cells and help localize treatment, increasing its effectiveness while minimizing damage to healthy tissue.
…Developments in this field have accelerated since then, according to Piotr Grodzinski, Director of the NCI’s Alliance. “If you look at where we were five years ago, there was nothing mature enough that the FDA would even consider [it]. Today, there are 20 to 30 small companies in both diagnostics and therapeutics. A handful of those are in clinical trials, and we expect another three or four will file applications this year.”
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