Recent advances of graphene family nanomaterials for nanomedicine

Abstract During the last decade, graphene family nanomaterials (GFNs) have proven unique physicochemical properties, with several applications being continuously explored. Among them, recent advances in nanomedicine revealed extensive interest for fabricating graphene-based cell-instructive environments for drug/gene delivery and cancer therapy, engineering stem cell responses, bacteria-killing and tissue engineering platforms, biosensing and cellular imaging. However, the full merging of GFN with bio-nanotechnology is still in its infancy, with many challenges remaining unexplored. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce a critical overview of the latest advances achieved in the synthesis and functionalization of graphene and its derivates for nanomedicine, as well as prospective expansion of this fascinating research field.