title: Silicon nanostructures for cancer diagnosis and therapy.
abstract: The emergence of nanotechnology suggests new and exciting opportunities for early diagnosis and therapy of cancer. During the recent years, silicon-based nanomaterials featuring unique properties have received great attention, showing high promise for myriad biological and biomedical applications. In this review, we will particularly summarize latest representative achievements on the development of silicon nanostructures as a powerful platform for cancer early diagnosis and therapy. First, we introduce the silicon nanomaterial-based biosensors for detecting cancer markers (e.g., proteins, tumor-suppressor genes and telomerase activity, among others) with high sensitivity and selectivity under molecular level. Then, we summarize in vitro and in vivo applications of silicon nanostructures as efficient nanoagents for cancer therapy. Finally, we discuss the future perspective of silicon nanostructures for cancer diagnosis and therapy.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
authors.forename: Zhaohui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyuan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
authors.forename: Binbin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM), Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015374:Biosensing Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D050997:Nanomedicine / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D012825:Silicon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D012825:Silicon
keywords: cancer diagnosis and therapy; chemotherapy; field-effect transistors; hyperthermia agents; nanocarriers; phototherapy; porous silicon; silicon nanostructures; silicon nanowires; surface-enhanced Raman scattering