Nanostructured copper chalcogenides have a wealth of intrinsic unique properties and hold great potential in the fields of energy conversion and theranostics. This Spotlight summarizes the latest bioapplications of an important type of copper chalcogenides, i.e., Cu2-xSe nanoparticles, which have been successfully investigated for molecular imaging (e.g., photoacoustic imaging, X-ray computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and single photon emission computed tomography), and therapy of tumors including photothermal therapy, chemodynamic therapy, photodynamic therapy, and immunotherapy. The broad bioapplications of Cu2-xSe nanoparticles highlight their great promise in maintaining good health.
Keywords: combined therapy; copper chalcogenides; doping; multimodal imaging; ultrasmall nanoparticles.