Gold Nanoparticles: Promising Nanomaterials for the Diagnosis of Cancer and HIV/AIDS

Abstract

Gold nanoparticles ( Au NPs) are currently playing a significant role for human welfare in the field of clinical diagnosis as well as several biomedical applications. More and more research shows that Au NPs-based technologies are becoming promising approaches in cancer research and AIDS treatment. In this paper, we have focused mainly on the exploitation of unique and characteristic properties of Au NPs such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR), surface enhance Raman scattering (SERS), magnetic properties (MRI), and fluorescence behavior shown upon conjugation with biological and biocompatible ligands. These properties find wide prevalence in biodiagnostics like plasmon-based labeling and imaging, enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), and electrochemical-based methods that can pave the way for developing novel techniques towards diagnosis and therapy of cancer and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS).