Photoactivated nanomaterials for biomedical release applications

The achievement of nanomaterials able to release therapeutic agents in a controlled fashion is a major challenge in the burgeoning field of nanomedicine. Light represents the most elegant and non-invasive trigger to deliver bio-active compounds on demand since it allows the accurate control of three key factors determining the therapeutic outcome including site, timing and dosage. Recent breakthroughs in nanotechnology offer the opportunity to characterize, manipulate and organize matter at the nanometre scale, controlling the size and shape of the resulting nanomaterials and greatly improving the biocompatibility and the cellular uptake efficiency. This feature article illustrates some recent advances in the fabrication of light-triggered nanomaterials for biomedical delivery, describing representative examples from our laboratory and others, underlying the logical design and highlighting the potential applications in some major areas such as drug and gene release, photodynamic and photothermal therapy.