Analyzing research publication patterns to gauge future innovation pathways for Nano-Enabled Drug Delivery

With the global emphasis on the development of nanotechnology (“nano”), Nano-Enabled Drug Delivery (“NEDD”) systems are rapidly emerging as a key nano application area. NEDD offers promise in addressing pharmaceutical industry challenges concerning solubility, cost-reduction, cell and sub-cellular targeting, and patent lifecycle extension. A combination of factors promotes nanoparticle-enhanced and other nano-facilitated drug and gene delivery systems. To get a grip on this vast, varied, and highly promising area of nano application, researchers devised a multi-component search strategy, detailed here, to generate an NEDD dataset from the Web of Science (WOS). They then analyzed these scientific and biomedical research publication records to profile R&D activity, gauge evolving research foci, and forecast NEDD research trends. Such “Tech Mining” can help to address a wide array of further technology management questions concerning this important biomedical arena. The aim of this research is to build a family of analytical tools to facilitate the forecasting of innovation pathways.