Optical Chemical Nanosensors in Clinical Applications

Because of their size and versatile chemistry, nanomaterials represent today powerful tools for (bio)sensing applications. Various types of nanomaterials have proven to be practical, not only for the determination of clinically relevant parameters, but also for diagnostics, drug delivery and treatment of diseases (e.g. cancer). In this short review, types of nanomaterials used in medical applications are briefly described along with some of their applications where the nanomaterials' optical properties can be exploited. The question of the toxicity of nanomaterials and the issue of future trends are also raised.