title: Dynamic Nanoparticle Assemblies for Biomedical Applications.
abstract: Designed synthesis and assembly of nanoparticles assisted by their surface ligands can create "smart" materials with programmed responses to external stimuli for biomedical applications. These assemblies can be designed to respond either exogenously (for example, to magnetic field, temperature, ultrasound, light, or electric pulses) or endogenously (to pH, enzymatic activity, or redox gradients) and play an increasingly important role in a diverse range of biomedical applications, such as biosensors, drug delivery, molecular imaging, and novel theranostic systems. In this review, the recent advances and challenges in the development of stimuli-responsive nanoparticle assemblies are summarized; in particular, the application-driven design of surface ligands for stimuli-responsive nanoparticle assemblies that are capable of sensing small changes in the disease microenvironment, which induce the related changes in their physico-chemical properties, is described. Finally, possible future research directions and problems that have to be addressed are briefly discussed.
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.|Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of the Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
authors.forename: Fangyuan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Jingxiong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
authors.forename: Xueqian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Kong
authors.affiliation: Center for Nanoparticle Research, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Seoul, 08826, Korea.|School of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Korea.
authors.forename: Taeghwan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hyeon
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Province Key Laboratory of Anti-Cancer Drug Research, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.|Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of the Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China.
authors.forename: Daishun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ling
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry; D000068936:Theranostic Nanomedicine / Q000379:methods
keywords: biomedical application; nanomedicine; nanoparticle assembly; stimuli-responsive; surface ligands