With the alarming increase in cancer diagnoses and genetic illnesses, traditional drug agents and their delivery media need to be re-evaluated to address a quickly evolving field. With newer smart materials for the controlled release of macromolecules, peptides, genetic material, etc. further complications arise, such as material performance, synthesis, functionalization and targeting, biological identity, and biocompatibility.The book provides a comprehensive overview of the recent developments on 'smart' targeting and drug delivery systems with a variety of carriers like nanoparticles, membranes, and hydrogels. It contains detailed descriptions on the recent trends in this field in the ongoing battle with catastrophic diseases like cancer. This field of research has been in its infancy and continues to face growth, and with it, further challenges and difficulties along the way toward maturity, which are accurately introduced in this book.

In recent years, the fabrication of nanoparticles and exploration of their properties have attracted the attention of physicists, chemists, biologists and engineers. Interest in nanoparticles arise from the fact that the mechanical, chemical, electrical, optical, magnetic, electro-optical and magneto-optical properties of these particles are different from their bulk properties and depend on the particle size. There are numerous areas where nanoparticulate systems are of scientific and technological interest. This book reviews research on the various components of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.