Peptide-nanoparticle conjugates as a theranostic platform

Theranostic platforms have emerged as advanced systems integrating diagnostic and therapeutic agents to enable personalized medicine tailored to the specific characteristics of each patient's disease. However, conventional theranostic strategies face challenges in achieving high specificity and sensitivity for diagnosis and therapy. This necessitates the development of novel platforms to improve diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic efficacy. Peptide-nanoparticle conjugates (PNCs) have recently gained attention as promising cancer theranostic platforms, offering enhanced specificity and accuracy. PNCs combine the favorable features of nanoparticles with the bioactivity, biocompatibility, and multifunctionality of peptides, overcoming individual material limitations and synergistically controlling relevant biological activities. In this review, we explore the potential of PNCs as highly effective and accurate theranostic platforms, focusing on cancer theranostics. We provide background information and highlight the benefits of PNCs based on their components. We define key properties for desired applications and the corresponding parameters for property control. Representative examples of PNC-based cancer studies are presented based on these properties and parameters. Lastly, we propose guidelines for designing PNCs through a nanoarchitectonics approach to develop a promising cancer theranostic platform. This research contributes to the advancement of personalized medicine and holds great potential for improving patient outcomes in cancer diagnosis and treatment.