Dye‐doped silica nanoparticles: synthesis, surface chemistry and bioapplications

Background: Fluorescent silica nanoparticles have been extensively utilised in a broad range of biological applications and are facilitated by their predictable, well- understood, flexible chemistry and apparent biocompatibility. The ability to couple various siloxane precursors with fluorescent dyes and to be subsequently incorporated into silica nanoparticles has made it possible to engineer these fluorophores-doped nanomaterials to specific optical requirements in biological experimentation. Conse- quently, this class of nanomaterial has been used in applications across immunodiag- nostics, drug delivery and human-trial bioimaging in cancer research.

Conclusions: Dye-doped silica nanoparticles have found success in the immunodiag- nostics domain and have also shown promise as bioimaging agents in human clinical trials. Their use in cancer delivery has been restricted to murine models, as has been the case for the vast majority of nanomaterials intended for cancer therapy. This is ham- pered by the need for more human-like disease models and the lack of standardisation towards assessing nanoparticle toxicity. However, developments in the manipulation of the protein corona have improved the understanding of fundamental bio–nano inter- actions, and will undoubtedly assist in the translation of silica nanoparticles for disease treatment to the clinic.