Transition metal chalcogenides based molecular probes in biomedical applications

Various emerging nanotechnologies possess unprecedented advantages in biomedical applications. Among them, transition metal chalcogenide nanomaterials represent a novel type of material with versatile physicochemical properties that have enabled new horizons for applications in both cancer diagnosis and therapy. Studies have demonstrated that transition metal chalcogenide nanomaterials may be used in diverse aspects, including i) bioimaging for organ visualization or cancer detection due to their high propensity towards tumour markers; ii) molecular imaging for guided tumour therapies; and iii) drug and gene loading, for photothermal and photodynamic cancer therapies. In this doctoral thesis, the construction of three transition metal chalcogenide based molecular probes for biomedical applications are presented.