Polymer-Based and pH-Sensitive Nanobiosensors for Imaging and Therapy of Acidic Pathological Areas

Nanobiosensors with high sensitivity and specificity have shown great potential in the detection of diseases. The incorporation of therapeutic agents with nanobiosensors allows the simultaneous diagnosis and therapy of diseases. The delivery of nanobiosensors and therapeutic agents using polymers is a common strategy to improve imaging and therapeutic efficacies. These polymers play important roles in several aspects during a successful delivery process, such as increasing the stability and biocompatibility of the nanobiosensors and improving their cell endocytosis. The pH-sensitivity of the nanobiosensors endows them with various capabilities, such as enabling the selective targeting of pathological areas, activation of imaging signals and controlled release of payloads. This review focuses on the design, preparation and characterization of polymer-based and pH-sensitive nanobiosensors and the in intro/in vivo assessment of their ability to serve as efficient agents for the diagnosis and therapy of acidic pathological areas.