title: Multicolorful Carbon Dots for Tumor Theranostics.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cancer is a great threat of human health worldwide due to the uncontrollable spread of malignant cells throughout the body. Accurate diagnosis and targeted therapy approaches are critical factors for cancer treatment. Combination of therapeutic and diagnostic agents in a single nanocarrier enables to simultaneously monitor the cancer progression and tune disease therapy with minimum side effect.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Carbon dots are a novel class of small fluorescence carbon nanostructures with size less than 10 nm at least in one dimension, which exhibit excellent optical properties, larger surface area to volume ratio and low toxicity. The unique properties of carbon dots make it as an ideal carrier for incorporation of cancer targeting moieties, bio-imaging agents and antineoplastic agents in one delivery system.
  
  
  METHODS
  An literature search was conducted using Web of Science to find out articles related to carbon dots and tumor theranostics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Numerous applications of carbon dots in cancer theranostics have been reported during the past 10 years. This review introduces a brief history and basic fluorescent properties of carbon dots, and then discusses synthesis strategies and applications of carbon dots in biological imaging, targeted anti-cancer drug delivery, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy as well as gene delivery for cancer theranostics. Future directions of carbon dots in cancer theranostics are also highlighted.
authors.affiliation: School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Qinggongyuan 1, Ganjingzi District, Dalian 116034, China.|Engineering Research Center of Seafood of Ministry of Education of China, Dalian 116034, China.|Liaoning Key Laboratory of Seafood Science and Technology, Dalian 116034, China.
authors.forename: Haitao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Qinggongyuan 1, Ganjingzi District, Dalian 116034, China.|Engineering Research Center of Seafood of Ministry of Education of China, Dalian 116034, China.|Liaoning Key Laboratory of Seafood Science and Technology, Dalian 116034, China.
authors.forename: Jingran
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Qinggongyuan 1, Ganjingzi District, Dalian 116034, China.|Engineering Research Center of Seafood of Ministry of Education of China, Dalian 116034, China.|Liaoning Key Laboratory of Seafood Science and Technology, Dalian 116034, China.
authors.forename: Bei-Wei
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: School of Food Science and Technology, Dalian Polytechnic University, National Engineering Research Center of Seafood, Qinggongyuan 1, Ganjingzi District, Dalian 116034, China.|Engineering Research Center of Seafood of Ministry of Education of China, Dalian 116034, China.|Liaoning Key Laboratory of Seafood Science and Technology, Dalian 116034, China.
authors.forename: Mingqian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry; D005453:Fluorescence; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D045663:Quantum Dots / Q000737:chemistry*; D000068936:Theranostic Nanomedicine
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004337:Drug Carriers; D002244:Carbon
keywords: Carbon dots; cancer; imaging and drug delivery; multicolorful; nanocarrier; tumor theranostics.