Combining cell therapy and nanotechnology.

Cell transplantation to treat diseases characterised by tissue and cell dysfunction, ranging from diabetes to spinal cord injury, has made great strides preclinically and towards clinical efficacy. In order to enhance clinical outcomes, research needs to continue in areas including the development of a universal cell source that can be differentiated into specific cellular phenotypes, methods to protect the transplanted allogeneic or xenogeneic cells from rejection by the host immune system, techniques to enhance cellular integration of the transplant within the host tissue, strategies for in vivo detection and monitoring of the cellular implants, and new techniques to deliver genes to cells without eliciting a host immune response. Overcoming these obstacles will be of considerable benefit, as it allows understanding, visualising and controlling cellular interactions at a submicron level. Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that allows us to manipulate materials, tissues, cells and DNA at the level of and within the individual cell. As such, nanotechnology may be well suited to optimise the generally encouraging results already achieved in cell transplantation. This review presents some of the ways that nanotechnology can directly contribute to cell transplantation.