Copper-Based Nanomaterials for Image-Guided Cancer Therapy

Abstract Cancer is a significant disease that poses a major threat to human health. Image-guided cancer therapy refers to a series of medical procedures that use imaging technology to precisely locate and treat cancer. Combining the dual characteristics of medical images and functional nanomaterial (NM) drug carriers, various integrated diagnosis and treatment probes have been developed for in vivo dynamic monitoring and therapeutic effect evaluation of drugs based on medical imaging. Copper (Cu)-based NMs have emerged as valuable products of nanotechnology due to their unique physicochemical properties, which are influenced by factors, such as size, shape, and surface properties. In the field of imaging, Cu-based NMs offer a combination of desirable characteristics, including fluorescence emission, contrast enhancement, and radiolabeling stability. These properties form the foundation for a wide range of imaging modalities. In addition, Cu-based NMs can be used as a carrier for diagnostic or therapeutic drugs and the synergistic effect of multiple therapeutic modalities can be realized by doping multiple transition metals into the heterostructures. These properties have become an important basis for imaging-guided therapy with Cu-based NMs. In this review we introduce biocompatible Cu-based NMs for image-guided cancer therapy and provide an overview of the promising outcomes in biomedical research.