Gold Nanoparticles in Biomedical Applications: Synthesis, Functionalization, and Recent Advances

Area of Science:

• Nanomedicine
• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) possess significant biomedical potential and FDA approval.
• Their unique properties enable applications in tumor targeting, photothermal therapy, imaging, and personalized medicine.
• AuNPs are recognized as transformative tools in the field of nanomedicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and compare conventional and advanced gold nanoparticle synthesis and functionalization methods.
• To assess the evolution of gold nanoparticle applications in biomedicine.
• To highlight the shift towards sophisticated, multifunctional nanosystems.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature search of major scientific databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect).
• Focus on studies published between 2018-2025, including landmark papers for classical synthesis.
• Keywords included gold nanoparticles, synthesis, functionalization, and advanced biomedical applications.

Main Results:

• Advanced synthesis methods like green and microfluidic synthesis offer improvements over standard approaches.
• Gold nanoparticles are increasingly used in complex applications such as multiplex imaging, targeted therapy, and CRISPR-related gene editing.
• The field has advanced from basic diagnostics and drug delivery to sophisticated theranostics and spectral CT imaging.

Conclusions:

• Gold nanoparticles have evolved into advanced, multifunctional nanosystems for biomedical use.
• This review provides a novel comparison of sophisticated AuNP techniques against conventional methods in biomedical contexts.
• The findings underscore the dynamic progression of AuNPs in nanomedicine.