New Horizons for Diagnostics and Therapeutic Applications of Graphene and Graphene Oxide

Abstract

Graphene, a one-atom-thick two-dimensional (2D) layer of sp(2) -bonded carbon, has received worldwide attention owing to its extraordinary physical and chemical properties. Recently, great efforts have been devoted to explore potential applications of graphene and its oxide in life science, especially in disease-related diagnostics, near-Infrared (NIR) phototherapy and imaging. Here we will introduce recent advances and new horizons in this area, and focus on the rising progress on NIR photothermal therapy for cancer and Alzheimer's disease (AD), human telomerase detection, stem cell proliferation and differentiation on graphene substrate, diagnosis of cancer cell and related biomarkers, drug/nucleotide/peptide delivery and cell imaging, which have not been comprehensively reviewed. We hope to provide an outlook to the applications of graphene and its oxide, especially on the new horizons in this field, and inspire broader interests across various disciplines.

Mesoporous carbon biomaterials

“…Similar to carbon nanotubes and graphene [68][69][70][71][72], MCNs show strong optical absorption in the NIR region (e.g., 808 nm), indicating potential utility as the photothermal agent for photothermal ablation of cancer cells because NIR light penetrates deeply into tissues and is harmless to normal tissues [52,53]. Xu et al [53] recently demonstrated that FA-targeted MCNs showed superior photothermal-conversion efficiency compared to graphene oxide and showed that NIR irradiation accelerated the release of pre-loaded anticancer drugs from MCNs.…”

Surface modification of graphene and graphite by nitrogen plasma: Determination of chemical state alterations and assignments by quantitative X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

“…Once their basic properties have been identified, the next main concern is their potential application. They are potential candidates for promising applications in various areas ranging from novel structural materials and field emission devices, to pharmaceutical drugdelivery vectors and also bio-sensing [1][2][3][4][5]. All these applications require some form of surface modification, which explains the great effort that has recently been devoted to such investigations [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

Insights into 2D MXenes for Versatile Biomedical Applications: Current Advances and Challenges Ahead

“…Currently, great efforts for multidisciplinary research have been focused on biomedical applications of 2D nanomaterials, a newly emerging subtype of nanomaterials with ultrathin layer‐structured topology, including mostly explored graphene and its derivatives,12, 13 hexagonal boron nitrides (h‐BN),14 transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs),15 transition metal oxides (TMOs),16 palladium (Pd) nanosheets,17 black phosphorus (BP),18, 19 and transition metal carbides (MXenes) 20. Their multifaceted properties, such as high specific surface area and intriguing physiochemical natures, make them able to satisfy the strict demands in theranostic nanomedicine such as drug delivery, phototherapy, diagnostic imaging, biosensing, and even tissue engineering 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29…”