Immunoassay is commonly used for the detection of disease biomarkers, but advanced instruments and professional operating are often needed with current techniques. The facile readout strategy for immunoassay is mainly limited to the gold nanoparticles-based colorimetric detection. Here, we show that photothermal nanoparticles can be applied for biosensing and immunoassay with temperature as readout. We develop a plasmonic and photothermal immunoassay that allows straightforward readout by color and temperature based on crystal growth, without advanced equipment. It is demonstrated that alkaline phosphatasetriggered silver deposition on the surface of gold nanostars causes a large blue shift in the localized surface plasmon resonance of the nanosensor, accompanied by photothermal conversion efficiency changes. This approach also allows dual-readout of immunoassays with high sensitivity and great accuracy for the detection of prostate-specific antigen in complex samples. Our strategy provides a promising way for point-of-care testing and may broaden the applicability of programmable nanomaterials for diagnostics.

Photodynamic therapy( PDT) has extraordinary promise for the treatment of many cancers.H owever,i ts clinical progress is impaired by the intrinsic hypoxic tumor microenvironment that limits PDT efficacy and the safety concern associated with biological specificity of photosensitizers or vehicles.N ow it is demonstrated that rationally designed DNAn anosponges can load and delivery photosensitizer effectively,t arget tumor precisely,a nd relieve hypoxia-associated resistance remarkably to enhance the efficacy of PDT.S pecifically,t he approach exhibits af acile assembly process,p rovides programmable and versatile nanocarriers, and enables robust in vitro and in vivo anti-cancer efficacy with excellent biosafety.T hese findings represent ap ractical and safe approachb yd esigner DNAn anoassemblies to combat cancer effectively and suggest ap owerful strategy for broad biomedical application of PDT.

Programmable metal–organic frameworks were prepared as efficient delivery vehicles for targeted and stimuli-responsive release of multi-therapeutics with excellent antitumor activity.

Many cancer treatments including photodynamic therapy (PDT) utilize reactive oxygen species (ROS) to kill tumor cell. However, elevated antioxidant defense systems in cancer cells give resistance to the therapy involved...

Accurate diagnosis and targeted therapy are essential to precision theranostics. However, nonspecific response of theranostic agents in healthy tissues impedes their practical applications. Here, we design an activatable DNA nanosphere for specifically in situ sensing of cancer biomarker flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) and spatiotemporally modulating drug release. The gold nanostar-conjugated FEN1 substrate acts as spherical nucleic acid and induces a fluorescence signal upon a FEN1 stimulus for diagnosis. Guided by the nanoflare, external NIR light then triggers a controlled release of carried drugs at desired sites. This DNA nanosphere not only exhibits good stability, sensitivity, and specificity toward FEN1 assay but also serves as a precision theranostic agent for targeted and controlled drug delivery. Our study provides a reliable method for FEN1 imaging in vitro and in vivo and suggests a powerful strategy for precision medicine.