Advancing Medical Applications of Cancer Nanotechnology: Highlighting Two Decades of the NCI'S Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory Service to the Research Community.

Abstract

The Nanotechnology Characterization Laboratory (NCL) is a US federally funded resource providing characterization and expertise to the cancer nanomedicine research community. Founded as a formal partnership among the US National Cancer Institute (NCI), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the NCL has spent two decades developing a one-of-a-kind service with broad multidisciplinary expertise to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving drug development field. To mark the 20th anniversary of the lab's founding, the NCL hosted a symposium to highlight the achievements of the cancer nanomedicine field, showcase novel, next-generation nanotechnology research, and discuss future priorities to enable continued growth in combating cancer and the complexities associated with treating a disease that continues to take millions of lives annually. The discussion topics from this event are summarized.