Inaugural lecture delivered on January 21, 2010, Chair of Technological Innovation Liliane Bettencourt (2009-2010). The design of nanotechnologies capable of transporting drugs in the body and releasing them in a specific manner at the level of the site of action makes it possible to increase the therapeutic activity and to reduce the toxicity of many drugs. These “nanovectors” are capable of protecting the active molecule from degradation by the enzymes of the organism, of targeting it selectively towards the target tissue or cell, and of controlling its release. More specific than traditional pharmaceutical formulations, “nanomedicines” make it possible to design new therapeutic strategies in the fight against severe diseases: cancers, intracellular infections, metabolic or neurodegenerative diseases, etc. The Chair of Technological Innovation at the Collège de France was created with the support of the Bettencourt-Schueller Foundation. |