Nanotechnology-Driven Cancer Therapies for Precision Oncology: Advances and Clinical Outlook

Vrinda Gupta,1 Dinesh Kumar,2 Sonia Gupta,3 Rajni Tanwar,4 Nicky Kumar Jaiswal,5 Md Moidul Islam,5 Shivani Singh,6 Niraj Choudhary,7 S Gowri,8 Thomas J Webster,9– 12 Md Faiyazuddin13 1The ICFAI University, Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, 174103, India; 2Department of Pharmaceutics, GNA School of Pharmacy, GNA University, Phagwara, Punjab, India; 3Department of Pharmaceutics, Swami Devi Dyal Group of Professional Institute, Barwala, Panchkula, India; 4Department of Pharmaceutics, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guru Jambeshwar University, Hisar, Haryana, India; 5Department of Pharmaceutical Science, School of Pharmacy, Desh Bhagat University, Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab, India; 6Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jaipur National University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India; 7Department of Pharmacognosy, GNA School of Pharmacy, GNA University, Phagwara, Punjab, India; 8PG & Research Department of Physics, Cauvery College for Women, Affiliated to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, 600018, India; 9School of Health Sciences and Biomedical Engineering, Hebei University of Technology, Tianjin, People’s Republic of China; 10School of Engineering, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India; 11Program in Materials, UFPI, Teresina, Brazil; 12Division of Pre-College and Undergraduate Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA; 13Centre for Global Health Research, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, IndiaCorrespondence: Md Faiyazuddin, Email md.faiyazuddin@gmail.com Thomas J Webster, Email thomas_webster@brown.eduAbstract: Cancer continues to pose a global health challenge, with conventional therapies often limited by non-specific toxicity, drug resistance, and an inadequate therapeutic index. Nanotechnology offers transformative opportunities by enabling targeted drug delivery, improved pharmacokinetics, and integrated diagnostic-therapeutic platforms (termed nanotheranostics). This review highlights key nanocarrier systems including liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, dendrimers, inorganic nanostructures, carbon-based materials, extracellular vesicles, and hybrid platforms with a focus on human studies and clinical translation. Design strategies (such as passive and active tumor targeting, biomimicry, and stimuli-responsive release mechanisms) are discussed in the context of improving tumor selectivity and minimizing systemic toxicity. Recent innovations, including AI-supported nanomedicine design, smart nanorobots, and cell-mediated delivery systems, are also examined. Although multiple nano-formulations such as Doxil®, Abraxane®, and Vyxeos® have reached clinical use, challenges remain including large-scale manufacturing, regulatory pathways, long-term safety evaluation, and cost-effective global accessibility. This review provides a critical appraisal of current evidence, translational bottlenecks, and emerging opportunities to guide future nanomedicine development. Nanotechnology is poised to become a cornerstone of precision oncology, enabling personalized, safe, and effective cancer treatment paradigms.