This book is the first to focus specifically on cancer nanotheranostics. Each of the chapters that make up this comprehensive volume is authored by a researcher, clinician, or regulatory agency member known for their expertise in this field.

Theranostics, the technology to simultaneously diagnose and treat a disease, is a nascent field that is growing rapidly in this era of personalized medicine. As the need for cost-effective disease diagnosis grows, drug delivery systems that can act as multifunctional carriers for imaging contrast and therapy agents could provide unique breakthroughs in oncology. Nanotechnology has enabled the development of smart theranostic platforms that can concurrently diagnose disease, start primary treatment, monitor response and initiate secondary treatments if required. In oncology, chemotherapeutics have been routinely used. Some drugs have proven effective but all carry risks of adverse side effects. There is growing interest in using remotely triggered drug delivery systems to limit cytotoxicity in the diseased area.

This book reviews the use of theranostic nanoparticles for cancer applications over the past decade. First, it briefly discusses the challenges and limitations of conventional cancer treatments, and presents an overview of the use of nanotechnology in treating cancer. These introductory chapters are followed by those exploring cancer diagnosis and a myriad of delivery methods for nanotherapeutics. The book also addresses multifunctional platforms, treatment monitoring, and regulatory considerations. As a whole, the book aims to briefly summarize the development and clinical potential of various nanotheranostics for cancer applications, and to delineate the challenges that must be overcome for successful clinical development and implementation of such cancer theranostics.

Stephanie Morris, PhD joined the National Institutes of Health (NIH) as a Program Director at the National Cancer Institute in 2012 where she managed a portfolio of nanotechnology research projects and centers in the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer program. She also developed new research initiatives such as the Innovative Research in Cancer Nanotechnology program and participated on several NIH and interagency committees and working groups, especially those focused on nanotechnology data sharing. She received her Bachelor's degree in Biology and Neuroscience and Behavior (dual majors) from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT and her PhD in Biochemistry and Biophysics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she was a Ford Foundation Fellow. She is also the recipient of a UNCF-Merck Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, which she received while in the National Cancer Institute's Laboratory of Receptor Biology and Gene Expression. Her research background includes the study of transcription and chromatin modifying enzymes. Dr. Morris recently moved to the Office of Strategic Coordination in the National Institutes of Health Office of the Director where she is involved in strategic planning for the NIH Common Fund and serves as a Program Officer for the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity and the Somatic Cell Genome Editing programs.