Nanomaterials in diagnostics, imaging and delivery: Applications from COVID-19 to cancer

In the past two decades, the emergence of nanomaterials for biomedical applications has shown tremendous promise for changing the paradigm of all aspects of disease management. Nanomaterials are particularly attractive for being a modularly tunable system; with the ability to add functionality for early diagnostics, drug delivery, therapy, treatment and monitoring of patient response. In this review, a survey of the landscape of different classes of nanomaterials being developed for applications in diagnostics and imaging, as well as for the delivery of prophylactic vaccines and therapeutics such as small molecules and biologic drugs is undertaken; with a particular focus on COVID-19 diagnostics and vaccination. Work involving bio-templated nanomaterials for high-resolution imaging applications for early cancer detection, as well as for optimal cancer treatment efficacy, is discussed. The main challenges which need to be overcome from the standpoint of effective delivery and mitigating toxicity concerns are investigated. Subsequently, a section is included with resources for researchers and practitioners in nanomedicine, to help tailor their designs and formulations from a clinical perspective. Finally, three key areas for researchers to focus on are highlighted; to accelerate the development and clinical translation of these nanomaterials, thereby unleashing the true potential of nanomedicine in healthcare.