Nonporous silica nanoparticles for nanomedicine application

•Controlled synthesis of size- and shape-specific silica nanomaterials.•Silica nanoparticles for drug, protein and gene delivery.•Silica nanoparticles for imaging and diagnosis.•Safety of silica nanomaterials.

SummaryNanomedicine, the use of nanotechnology for biomedical applications, has potential to change the landscape of the diagnosis and therapy of many diseases. In the past several decades, the advancement in nanotechnology and material science has resulted in a large number of organic and inorganic nanomedicine platforms. Silica nanoparticles (NPs), which exhibit many unique properties, offer a promising drug delivery platform to realize the potential of nanomedicine. Mesoporous silica NPs have been extensively reviewed previously. Here we review the current state of the development and application of nonporous silica NPs for drug delivery and molecular imaging.

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