2025-11-12
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Researchers have published a comprehensive review on recent advances in carbon dots (CDs) and their hybrid nanostructures for next-generation cancer diagnosis and therapy, highlighting their potential to integrate imaging and treatment for precision cancer care.
Chung-Ang University is proud to announce that a collaborative research review led by Dr. Wubshet Mekonnen Girma and Professor Myung-Geol Pang has been accepted for publication in the highly regarded journal Coordination Chemistry Reviews.
The review provides an in-depth overview of recent advances in the use of carbon dots (CDs) and their hybrid nanostructures for next-generation cancer treatment and diagnosis. With their unique fluorescent properties, biocompatibility, and ease of functionalization, CDs are gaining significant attention as potential agents for tumor imaging and therapy.
The complex microenvironment and self-protective mechanisms of tumors have reduced the therapeutic benefit of anticancer medicines, hindering their implementation in clinical settings. Construction of an intelligent nanomedicine that can integrate diagnosis and therapeutic agent plays a crucial role in advancement of tumor treatment. CDs owing to their unique architecture with tunable fluorescence and various functional groups have been used for diagnosis and therapeutic applications.
The ultrasmall size of CDs (typically less than 10 nm) restricts their application in nanomedicine, as they undergo rapid metabolism and exhibit limited efficiency in enhanced permeability and retention (EPR)-mediated passive tumor targeting. While alternative approaches, such as ultrasound, have been explored to improve tumor delivery, a more effective strategy lies in the design of engineered CD-based nanohybrids. These nanohybrids can achieve higher drug-loading capacity, prolonged circulation time, enhanced tumor accumulation, and amplified EPR-based targeting due to their larger, tunable size.
The authors emphasize the development of tumor microenvironment-responsive CD-based nanohybrids that can intelligently integrate imaging and multiple therapeutic strategies.
By summarizing key construction strategies, biomedical applications, and existing challenges, the article outlines a roadmap for advancing carbon dot-based nanomedicine toward clinical translation in precision cancer theranostics.
Read the original article on Chung Ang University.