Chapter 8: Multifunctional Nanomaterials for Cancer Theranostics

Nanomaterials with different morphologies and functions have been widely developed. Among them, the nanotheranostic systems designed and simultaneously used for therapeutics and diagnostics draw particular attention. To achieve the multifunctionality in one nanoformulation, typically four components are included: nanocarriers, targeting ligand, imaging domain and therapeutics. This review is aimed at introducing some examples of possibilities for the different components in a nanotheranostic system.