Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have a wide range of applications in biomedicine due to their unique optical properties, such as resistance to autofluorescence, deep tissue penetration ability, good biocompatibility, multifunctional integration ability, and low toxicity. The applications of UCNPs in biology cover a wide range of fields from diagnostics to therapy. compared with traditional fluorescent materials, UCNPs show unique advantages and great potential in biosensing, bioimaging, drug delivery, PTT/PDT, multimodal diagnostics, cell labeling, and molecular probes. With the further development in this field, the applications prospects of UCNPs in biomedicine will be even broader. This article reviews the applications and cutting-edge technologies of UCNPs in current popular biological fields such as  biosensing, bioimaging, and drug delivery, and summarizes the prospects and challenges of UCNPs in the future of biomedicine.

Fei Li, Xinru Liu, Xiyan Zhu. Recent advances in UCNPs fluorescent nanomaterials as platforms for biological applications. Academic Journal of Materials & Chemistry (2024) Vol. 5, Issue 3: 85-93. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJMC.2024.050313.

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