Title:Ultrasmall Nanoclusters: Synthesis and Applications as an Emerging Platform for Imaging and Therapy
Volume: 17
Issue: 3
Author(s): Xiaohui Zhang, Deborah Sultan, Gyu Seong Heo, Hannah Luehmann, Lisa Detering and Yongjian Liu*
Affiliation:
- Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110,United States
Keywords:
Cancer, imaging, therapy, ultrasmall nanocluster, medicine, nanotheranostics.
Abstract:
Background: Ultrasmall nanoclusters (USNCs) have attracted tremendous attention owing
to their unique properties that make them desirable for the development of personalized medicine,
such as tunable emission, straightforward modification, and renal clearance. Hence, USNCs
have emerged as potential materials for nanotheranostics.
Objective: For decades, great efforts have been devoted to the bio-applications of USNCs, promising
platforms to satisfy the increasing demand for precise diagnostic and targeted therapeutics. Herein,
we summarize the most recent advances of USNCs in biomedical applications and provide our perspective
on the future development of USNCs.
Results: This review briefly summarized the synthetic methods of metallic USNCs and discussed
their recent applications for cancer imaging and therapy.
Conclusion: USNCs have shown their potential for accurate diagnosis and specific delivery of therapeutics
in preclinical research.