Advanced Upconversion Materials for Sensing, Imaging and Theranostics
A special issue of Sensors (ISSN 1424-8220). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosensors".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2019) | Viewed by 485
Special Issue Editors
Centre of Biomedical Engineering, Director,Institute of Molecular Medicine,Sechenov University, Russia
Laboratory of Optical Theranostics, Head,Niznhy Novgorod State University, Russia
Interests: optical biomedical imaging; biophotonics; nanobiophotonics; theranostics; cancer nanotechnology; photoluminescence
Interests: analytical chemistry; biosensing and bioimaging; photochemistry; nanotechnology; nano-bio interface chemistry; nanobiosensors; theranostic nanomaterials
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
These days, novel advanced materials foster the spectacular progression of the core disciplines, where sensing and imaging are instrumental and oftentimes indispensable. At the same time, emerging disciplines, such as theranostics, heavily rely on the implementation capacity of new materials to realize the disciplines’ promises and potentials. Among the plethora of the recently-introduced materials, upconversion materials stand out due to their unique photophysical properties, making them powerful alternatives for a range of applications in sensing, imaging and theranostics. Stand-alone anti-Stokes molecular emitters, chelated lanthanide complexes, hybrid triplet–triplet annihilation particulate constructs and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP) represent main systems based on photon upconversion processes, where lanthanide-doped UCNP remain among the hot research topics for several past years. In comparison with the existing fluorescent nanoparticles, such as quantum dots and fluorescently labelled nanoparticles, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP) are non-toxic, photostable and excitable in the near-infrared (NIR) spectral range identified as the first biological tissue transparency window. The unique photoluminescent properties of UCNPs, such as a large spectral shift between the excitation and emission and exceptionally long emission lifetime (ranging from microseconds to milliseconds) allow a nearly complete suppression of the autofluorescence background providing high-contrast optical imaging in cells and biological tissues. In addition, UCNPs have been exploited in anticancer therapy, including photodynamic therapy mediated by UCNPs, which convert deeply-penetrating near-infrared (NIR) light to ultraviolet and visible light. NIR-light-controlled delivery systems containing UCNPs for the uncaging of therapeutic drugs is another emerging application for the UCNPs. Recently introduced UCNP synthesis procedures allow tailoring their size from 5 nm to 200 nm.
In addition to the unique photophysical properties, surface-functionalised UCNP can be rendered multifunctional by embedment contrast agents into the core, forming additional functional shells or binding functional molecules to the surface—to name a few. This multifunctionality and biofunctionality of UCNP create a scope for theranostics applications, where the multi-modality imaging, sensing, targeted drug delivery and release enable diagnosis, therapy and treatment monitoring.
This Special Issue focuses on the most recent investigative advances in upconversion materials for sensing, imaging and theranostics applications. Original research papers, up-to-date reviews and technique reports of the related research field are invited. This Special Issue includes, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Photophysics and photochemistry of upconversion photoluminescence
- Novel strategies for design and production of upconversion materials; including UCNPs, triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion and single molecule-based upconversion materials;
- Surface chemistry of upconversion nanomaterials, including approaches of their interfacing with biological systems;
- Upconversion materials for biosensing, bioanalytical assay and disease biomarkers detection;
- Upconversion materials for bioimaging, including photoluminescence microscopy, optical imaging, MRI, CT, etc.;
- Biomedical application of upconversion materials in theranostics, such as early disease detection, oncomarkers, drug delivery, treatment, etc.;
- Upconversion materials for optical encoding and multiplexing.
Prof. Andrei Zvyagin
Dr. Run Zhang
Guest Editors
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Keywords
- Upconversion Photoluminescence
- Upconversion nanoparticle
- Triplet–triplet annihilation upconversion
- Single molecule upconversion
- Upconversion nanosensors
- Cancer nanotechnology
- Bio-/nano-interface of UCNPs
- Bioimaging
- Theranostics
- Early disease diagnosis
- Treatment monitoring
- Multiplexing
- Microbeads analytical assays
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