Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) represent a rapidly emerging class of nanomaterials with significant potential in biomedical applications due to their tunable fluorescence, high biocompatibility, and versatile functionalization. This review focuses on the recent progress in utilizing CQDs for drug delivery, bioimaging, biosensing, and cancer therapy. With their unique optical properties, such as tunable fluorescence, high quantum yield, and photostability, CQDs enable precise bioimaging and sensitive biosensing. Their small size, biocompatibility, and ease of surface functionalization allow for the development of targeted drug delivery systems, enhancing therapeutic precision and minimizing side effects. In cancer therapy, CQDs have shown potential in photodynamic and photothermal treatments by generating reactive oxygen species under light exposure, selectively targeting cancer cells while sparing healthy tissues. Furthermore, CQDs’ ability to penetrate biological barriers including the blood–brain barrier opens new possibilities for delivering therapeutic agents to hard‐to‐reach areas, such as tumors or diseased tissues. However, challenges such as optimizing synthesis, ensuring long‐term stability, and addressing safety concerns in biological environments remain critical hurdles. This review discusses current efforts to overcome these barriers and improve CQD performance in clinical settings, including scalable production methods and enhanced biocompatibility. As research progresses, CQDs are expected to play an important role in improving healthcare by offering more targeted treatment options and contributing to advancements in personalized medicine.

Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment by leveraging the immune system to target and eliminate tumor cells. Implantable biomaterials, such as hydrogels, sponges, scaffolds, implantable microdevice platforms, and macrobeads, offer localized and sustained release of immunomodulatory agents, improving the delivery of treatments such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccines, and adoptive cell therapies like CAR‐T cells. This review examines the emerging role of these biomaterials in modulating the tumor microenvironment, enhancing immune cell recruitment, and reducing systemic side effects, positioning them as significant tools for treating solid tumors. Recent advances in material engineering are also discussed, including the integration of bioactive molecules and real‐time therapeutic adjustments based on patient‐specific immune responses, which offer new potential in personalized cancer treatments. However, challenges such as biocompatibility, high production costs, variability in patient response, and the necessity of surgical manipulations remain key obstacles. Nonetheless, ongoing research and technological advancements are steadily addressing these issues, paving the way for more effective and accessible cancer immunotherapies. Overall, this review highlights the promise of implantable biomaterials overcoming the current limitations of cancer immunotherapy and expanding the scope of effective, targeted cancer treatments.

X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) is a severe inherited retinal degenerative disease characterized by progressive loss of photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium, leading to blindness. Predominantly affecting males due to mutations in the RPGR gene, XLRP currently lacks effective treatments beyond supportive care. Gene therapy has emerged as a promising approach to restore photoreceptor function by delivering functional copies of the RPGR gene. Recent clinical trials using AAV vectors, such as AAV5-RPGR and AGTC-501, have demonstrated encouraging results, including improvements in retinal sensitivity and visual function. While early successes like LUXTURNA have set the precedent for gene therapy in retinal diseases, adapting these strategies to XLRP presents unique challenges due to the complexity of RPGR mutations and the need for efficient photoreceptor targeting. Advances in vector design, including the use of optimized AAV serotypes with enhanced tropism for photoreceptors and specific promoters, have significantly improved gene delivery. Despite setbacks in some studies, ongoing research and clinical trials continue to refine these therapies, offering hope for patients affected by XLRP. This review explores the etiology and pathophysiology of XLRP, evaluates current treatment challenges, highlights recent clinical advances in gene therapy, and discusses future perspectives for bringing these therapies into clinical practice.