Carbon nanotubes in biology and medicine: An overview

Abstract

Rapid development in the field of nanomedicine is bringing novel opportunities for improved disease diagnosis and drug delivery. Among various nanomaterials involved in nanomedicine, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possessing a unique one-dimensional structure with interesting intrinsic mechanical, physical, and chemical properties have been extensively explored for a wide range of applications in biology and medicine. This review article provides an overview of how CNTs are used in different aspects of biomedicine including drug delivery and cancer treatment, bio-sensing, biomedical imaging, as well as tissue engineering. The recent developments, future perspective, and major challenges in this field are discussed. © 2011 Science China Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.