Biogenic Silica for Drug Delivery and Gene Therapy

Biogenic silica (BS) is widely employed in numerous applications including medical diagnosis, gene therapy, drug delivery as well as in the food industry and several synthetic processes with their large surface area, controllable particle size, and great biocompatibility. Using some convenient and affordable methods help to develop BS, fabricated via fundamental green approaches. Some research has evaluated the biomedical aspects of BS along with the surface functionalization and structural modification to specially address various cancers as well as medical disorders. On the other hand, research on in vivo and in vitro toxicity of BS is still in exploratory stages, and its toxicity mechanisms are not clearly understood. This book chapter covers current research on the biological uses of BS such as the usage in photonic applications, gene therapy, drug delivery systems and the detection or treatment of numerous diseased conditions. This book chapter also discusses fundamental advancements and exploratory development of BS in the research field that could eventually become a practical expansion in future biomedical application.