In recent years, photothermal therapy (PTT) particularly nanomaterial-based PTT is a promising therapeutic modality and technique for cancer tumor ablation. In addition to killing tumor cells directly through heat, PTT also can induce immunogenic cell death (ICD) to activate the whole-body anti-tumor immune response, including the redistribution and activation of immune effector cells, the expression and secretion of cytokines and the transformation of memory T lymphocytes. When used in combination with immunotherapy, the efficacy of nanomaterial-based PTT can be improved. This article summarized the mechanism of nanomaterial-based PTT against cancer and how nanomaterial-based PTT impacts the tumor microenvironment and induces an immune response. Moreover, we reviewed recent advances of nanomaterial-based photothermal immunotherapy and discussed challenges and future outlook.

In order to investigate structure-property relationships, the catalytic properties of gold nanoparticles were evaluated in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol by NaBH₄. Using catalyst suspensions with identical amounts of gold, the following key results were obtained: first, the nanostars showed increased activity as compared to spherical gold nanoparticles; second, larger gold nanostars showed higher activity, likely because of the abundance of flat/spiky features on these particles, which show high metal utilization; third, treatment of the nanostar colloid with cucurbit[7]uril can be used to balance catalyst stability and activity; fourth, as expected from the decreasing surface atom fraction, the specific activity of the spherical nanoparticles decreased with increasing particle size.

Stimuli-responsive hydrogels with adaptable physical properties show great potential in the biomedical field. In particular, the collection of electrical signals is essential for precision medicine. Here, a simple strategy is demonstrated for achieving controlled drug release and real-time monitoring using an interpenetrating binary network consisting of a graphene aerogel and a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel with incorporated polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA-NPs). Owing to the good physical properties of graphene and the embedded PDA-NPs, the hybrid hydrogel shows enhanced mechanical properties and good electrical conductivity. In addition, the hybrid hydrogel also shows dual thermo- and near-infrared light responsiveness, as revealed by the controlled release of a model drug. In addition, as the hydrogel exhibits detectable changes in resistance during drug release, the drug-release behavior of the hydrogel can be monitored in real time using electrical signals. Moreover, owing to the abundance of catechol groups on the PDA-NPs, the hybrid hydrogel shows good tissue adhesiveness, as demonstrated using in vivo experiments. Thus, the developed hybrid hydrogel exhibits considerable practical applicability for drug delivery and precision medicine.

Due to the great potential to improve catalytic performance, gold (Au) and palladium (Pd) bimetallic catalysts have prompted structure-controlled synthesis of Au-Pd nanoalloys bounded by high-index facets. In this work, we prepared Au-Pd bimetallic nanoflowers (NFs) with a uniform size, well-defined dendritic morphology, and homogeneous alloy structure in an aqueous solution by seed-mediated synthesis. The prepared bimetallic NFs were fully characterized using a combination of transmission electron microscopy, Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, and cyclic voltammetry measurements. The catalytic activities of the prepared Au-Pd nanoparticles for 4-nitrophenol reduction were also investigated, and the activities are in the order of Au@Pd NFs > Au-Pd NFs (Au₁Pd₁ core) > Au-Pd NFs (Au core), which could be related to the content and exposed different reactive surfaces of Pd in alloys. This result clearly demonstrates that the superior activities of Au-Pd alloy nanodendrites could be attributed to the synergy between Au and Pd in catalysts.

Despite being one of the most effective broad-spectrum chemotherapeutic agents in the treatment of cancers, the clinical applications of bleomycins (BLMs) have been limited due to their poor drug delivery abilities, and the side effect of causing lung fibrosis. With the increased therapeutics and the reduction of side effects, research and development of targeted drug delivery systems (TDDS) with BLMs have become essential for the expansive clinical usage of BLM-based therapeutics. This review summarizes the recent developments of various TDDS for BLMs, including techniques such as photochemical internalization, ultrasound, and micelle, liposome, and nanoparticle formation. The advantages and disadvantages for each delivery approach are outlined, along with the specific challenges associated with each delivery system.