Patents in nanotechnology applied to health: technological trends involving skin disorders
摘要
The development of alternative therapies for skin diseases, as well as aesthetic skin care, has gained a lot of attention in recent decades. In this way, nanotechnology and its wide versatility of application in health have shown itself to be a promising avenue for new pharmaceutical and cosmetic formulations, which take advantage of the properties that nanoparticles (NPs) offer for the treatment of various skin disorders such as acne, rosacea, allergies, wounds, burns, infections, and even cancer. This article presents an in-depth review of patent documents and scientific articles on the application of nanotechnological strategies in skin care and treatment, using the Derwent World Patents Index (DWPI) database. The filing of patent documents as an indicator of innovation points to a slow but steady growth of innovation in the field of nanotechnology applied to skincare, for the most varied therapeutic targets and technological routes. However, recent research in the area has presented an encouraging outlook for the exploration of NPs as nanocarrier molecules, providing increasingly targeted, effective, and safe therapies.