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Nanoparticles possess unique features that may be useful for disease diagnosis and therapy. Preclinically, many different nanodiagnostics have been explored, but only a few have made it to the market. We here provide an overview of nanoparticle-based imaging agents currently used and evaluated in the clinic and discuss preclinical progress and translational avenues for the use of nanoparticles for diagnostic and theranostic applications.

Interest in dendrimer-based nanomedicines has been growing recently, as it is possible to precisely manipulate the molecular weight, chemical composition, and surface functionality of dendrimers, tuning their properties according to the desired biomedical application. However, one important concern about dendrimer-based therapeutics remains-the nondegradability under physiological conditions of the most commonly used dendrimers. Therefore, biodegradable dendrimers represent an attractive class of nanomaterials, since they present advantages over conventional nondegradable dendrimers regarding the release of the loaded molecules and the prevention of bioaccumulation of synthetic materials and subsequent cytotoxicity. Here, we present an overview of the state-of-the-art of the design of biodegradable dendritic structures, with particular focus on the hurdles regarding the use of these as vectors of drugs and nucleic acids, as well as macromolecular contrast agents. The authors would like to acknowledge the FEDER funds through the Programa Operacional Factores de Competitividade − COMPETE and the Portuguese funds through FCT − Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PTDC/CTM-NAN/112428/2009, PEst/SAU/LA0002/2013 and PEst-OE/QUI/UI0674/2013-2014) that supported this work. V. Leiro is supported by FCT (SFRH/BPD/69110/2010).