Engineering lanthanide-based materials for nanomedicine

We present the recent development of lanthanide-based nanoprobes in T 1 and T 2 magnetic resonance imaging, which show superior performances over currently used commercials agents. The potential benefits of multifunctional lanthanide-based nanomaterials in multimodal diagnostics are also highlighted. An important feature of lanthanide-based nanomaterials is the external controllability of light emission from UV to NIR wavelengths. This unique capability makes this class of nanomaterials useful for not only controlled/triggered release of drugs and gene delivery but also photodynamic or photothermal therapy at targeted sites. Finally, we discuss recent efforts to address concerns of short-term and long-term toxicity of lanthanide materials. The wide range of unique features of lanthanide-based nanomaterials accentuates their promise as efficient platforms for nanomedicine. Graphical abstract
Source: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology C: Photochemistry Reviews - Category: Chemistry Source Type: research