Cancer and biotechnology: A matchup that should never slowdown

Plant-based treatments propose a very attractive approach for cancer prevention and therapy due to their minimal toxicity and lower-to-nonassociated side effects. About 40% of FDA-approved therapeutic agents are natural-based components or their derivatives. Plant-based components have been reported to have anticancer properties in vivo and in vitro through the modulation of many cancer hallmarks and niche elements, including self-renewal properties of cancer stem cells. Screening for anticancer agents, synthetic or natural-based, requires a reliable disease model. Efforts to mimic in vivo conditions have led to the development of three-dimensional culture system, a biotechnology that allows cells to grow in three dimensions. Nanotechnology is also fast growing into a quite powerful tool to improve quality of life, particularly the life of cancer patients. Clearing away most hurdles that conventional/herbal medicine is often challenged with, nanotechnology can potentially help delivering anticancer herbal drugs more specifically and efficiently. Given the rather gloomy reality of cancer, nanomedicine becomes the major silver lining. A number of successful conjugates of nanoparticle with herbal products are discussed in this chapter.