Issue 6, 2022

The fast-growing field of photo-driven theranostics based on aggregation-induced emission

Abstract

Photo-driven theranostics, also known as phototheranostics, relying on the diverse excited-state energy conversions of theranostic agents upon photoexcitation represents a significant branch of theranostics, which ingeniously integrate diagnostic imaging and therapeutic interventions into a single formulation. The combined merits of photoexcitation and theranostics endow photo-driven theranostics with numerous superior features. The applications of aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens), a particular category of fluorophores, in the field of photo-driven theranostics have been intensively studied by virtue of their versatile advantageous merits of favorable biocompatibility, tuneable photophysical properties, unique aggregation-enhanced theranostic (AET) features, ideal AET-favored on-site activation ability and ready construction of one-for-all multimodal theranostics. This review summarised the significant achievements of photo-driven theranostics based on AIEgens, which were detailedly elaborated and classified by their diverse theranostic modalities into three groups: fluorescence imaging-guided photodynamic therapy, photoacoustic imaging-guided photothermal therapy, and multi-modality theranostics. Particularly, the tremendous advantages and individual design strategies of AIEgens in pursuit of high-performance photosensitizing output, high photothermal conversion and multimodal function capability by adjusting the excited-state energy dissipation pathways are emphasized in each section. In addition to highlighting AIEgens as promising templates for modulating energy dissipation in the application of photo-driven theranostics, current challenges and opportunities in this field are also discussed.

Graphical abstract: The fast-growing field of photo-driven theranostics based on aggregation-induced emission

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
10 Dez 2021
First published
28 Feb 2022

Chem. Soc. Rev., 2022,51, 1983-2030

The fast-growing field of photo-driven theranostics based on aggregation-induced emission

Z. Zhang, M. Kang, H. Tan, N. Song, M. Li, P. Xiao, D. Yan, L. Zhang, D. Wang and B. Z. Tang, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2022, 51, 1983 DOI: 10.1039/D1CS01138C

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