During the last decade, advances in nano-medicine have allowed the combining of various functionalities in molecular or supramo-lecular constructs, that is, nanoparticles. The family of nanoparticles includes polymeric micelles, liposomes, hollow particles and nano-or micro-emulsion droplets, as well as metallic nanospheres, rods, shells and cages, and carbon-based nanotubes and balls. Micron and submicron sized particles are also being constructed using top-down (lithography) rather than bottom-up (self-assembly) processes in porous silica, hydrogels and polymers. Various chemotherapeutic drugs, imaging agents and targeting moieties may be encapsulated in the same nanocontainer. The ability to combine chemotherapeutic agents and imaging agents may provide for early assessment of response to treatment and allow personalized therapy [1-5].
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