In vivo cancer research using aggregation-induced emission organic nanoparticles

Exploration of a nanoplatform that benefits precise cancer diagnosis and treatment in vivo is particularly valuable. In recent years, aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) have emerged as advanced fluorescent materials for the design and preparation of organic nanoparticles (NPs); they also have unique advantages in biomedical applications, especially in cancer diagnosis and theranostics. In this review, we summarize the current status of the development of AIEgen-based NPs for in vivo cancer research, including in vivo tumor diagnosis, drug delivery, and photodynamic therapy. We hope that our review will inspire more exciting research in cross-disciplinary fields, contributing to precise cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.