“…The controlled integration of specific targeting, sensitive diagnostics, and efficient therapeutics into one system, which is usually achieved by loading nanocarriers with multiple cargoes, attracts much attention of the researchers in the biomedical field. − In regard to cancer therapy, a drug nanocarrier design should allow the loaded cargoes to accomplish their functions and produce enhanced therapeutic effects. − Benefiting from the rapid development of nanotechnology, numerous multifunctional theranostic nanoformulations have been developed to deliver various diagnostic/therapeutic loads (imaging agents, photosensitizers, photothermal therapeutics, immunologic adjuvants, etc.) and realize imaging-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), − immunotherapy, or their combinations , for cancer nanotheranostic applications. , Still, the currently available cancer nanotheranostics do not demonstrate satisfactory specificity and selectivity toward tumors, which results in low diagnostic signal-to-noise ratio and limited therapeutic efficiency with potential systemic toxicity. − It should be noted that the nanoparticle (NP) based combination of chemotherapy with photoinduced therapy (i.e., PDT or PTT) can synergistically enhance efficiency of cancer treatment, allowing for less systemic toxicity of the drugs as their lower concentrations can be used. − At the same time, as tedious preparation steps, toxic reagents, and materials with undetermined long-term toxicity are typically used to develop different synthetic nanocarrier formulations and secure their colloidal stability, it may cause unpredictable limitations for clinical translation . Importantly, current drug delivery nanovehicles most often miss a therapeutic ability and other functionalities.…”