Nanotechnology plays a key role in the development of new drugs, from
start to end through target identification, lead identification, lead optimization, and
synthesis of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) as well. Nanodevices and
nanoparticles have been extensively utilized in discovering new drug targets in illness
sites or blood and for swift screening of interactions of molecular compounds with
therapeutic targets for lead identification/optimization. In addition, API development
employing nanoparticle catalysts to expedite the drug development process and
investigating pure nanomaterials as drugs are two further areas on which the
pharmaceutical industry is concentrating. This chapter will go into great detail on how
nanotechnology is used in the drug development process, starting with the
identification of drug targets, moving on to the identification and optimization of leads,
and concluding with the synthesis of API.
Keywords: Active pharmaceutical ingredients, Drug target, Lead optimization, Nanotechnology, Nanoparticles, Nanosensors, Nanocatalysts, Nano-drugs.
