Bioactive hybrid nanowires for drug delivery

Nanowires are one-dimensional nanostructures that have a large length to diameter aspect ratios and they exhibit unique mechanical, electrical, thermal, and optical properties. They can be produced by top-down or bottom-up methods depending on the properties of nanowires such as geometry and material type. Nanowires can be easily functionalized with several biomolecules such as enzymes, antibodies, and nucleic acids. The association of these two components results in novel hybrid nanowires, which combine the properties of biomolecules and nanowires. Surface functionalization of nanowires provides specific and important advantages for drug delivery, especially for anticancer agents. They have a large surface-area-to-volume ratio, which permits for higher drug loading and attachment of targeting molecules. They can be coated with various biocompatible and biodegradable polymers for increasing solubility and stability. The unique properties of nanowires provide several advantages in drug and gene delivery.