Debugging Nano-Bio Interfaces: Systematic Strategies to Accelerate Clinical Translation of Nanotechnologies

Despite considerable efforts in the field of nanomedicine that have been made by researchers, funding agencies, entrepreneurs, and the media, fewer nanoparticle (NP) technologies than expected have made it to clinical trials. The wide gap between the efforts and effective clinical translation is, at least in part, due to multiple overlooked factors in both in vitro and in vivo environments, a poor understanding of the nano-bio interface, and misinterpretation of the data collected in vitro, all of which reduce the accuracy of predictions regarding the NPs' fate and safety in humans. To minimize this bench-to-clinic gap, which may accelerate successful clinical translation of NPs, this opinion paper aims to introduce strategies for systematic debugging of nano-bio interfaces in the current literature.