Nanoparticle is a general term covering any structure built on a nanometer scale. In medical science, nanoparticles are structures on a nm scale, the optimal size for a particle capable of passing through many membranes in the human body, but still retained once inside cells. When nanoparticles carrying drugs are bonded to folate, they readily undergo endocytosis (depicted above) into cancerous cells. There they can deposit their medical payload. Because the medication does not interact with the body until it is carried into cancerous cells, the drugs that are delivered are more effective. Furthermore, because folate targeting deposits most of the pharmaceutical in cancerous cells, many of the negative side effects associated with cancer treatments are not a concern. These factors mean that folate targeted nanoparticle medication delivery is more effective than most other forms, while also significantly less dangerous to the patient. Nanoparticles on their own are of limited effectiveness. However, they can have other compounds conjugated to their surfaces, allowing them to avoid adsorption and immunoresponses. Conjugated targeting ligands allow nanoparticles to enter certain types of cell specifically. Folate, a common targeting ligand, is especially useful because cancer cells overexpress the folate receptor. As such, cancer cells will readily take in any particle bonded to folate. This table contains the clinical status of numerous oncological pharmaceutical-nanoparticle treatment systems. Many untargeted systems are currently approved for use, but targeted systems are still in research. Continued research will hopefully see targeted nanoparticle systems in clinical use. In a 100 day clinical trial of mice injected with KB tumors, those mice administered G5-FA-MTX and G5-FITC-FA-MTX (purple and orange in the above graph, respectively) had the highest survival rate. The sole difference between these groups was that G5-FITC-FA-MTX had an additional phosphorescent marker conjugated to the nanoparticle, allowing for easier location of the tumor by the administrators of the study. While no other mice survived, the mice administered saline (blue line) and free methotrexate (red line, the chemotherapy drug used in the study) were among the first depopulated groups. Also quickly depopulated was the untargeted nanoparticle conjugated methotrexate group (yellow line). The group that received targeted phosphorescent marker bearing nanoparticles (green line) lasted comparatively long before total depopulation, indicating a limited degree of effectiveness from nanoparticles even in the absence of medication. However, the survival rate could have easily been a result of a relatively small sample size in which one mouse was simply naturally resistant to the cancer. Thus, it is apparent that in these trials the most effective form of treatment is folate bonded oncological pharmaceutical bearing nanoparticles. This is a strong indicator that these same treatment methods will be very effective in human treatment. While more research is necessary, nanoparticles seem to be the next major step in cancer treatment. As development continues, their advantages and the versatility offered by surface modification may render them ubiquitous in medicine Jake Muldowney and Zachary Adam