ABSTRACT
Biodegradable polymer particles for theranostics applications with both simultaneous diagnostic and therapeutic actions are vital for present and future health care and well-being. Their multifunctionalities along with tunable sizes and shapes, degree of biodegradability and biocompatibility, responsiveness to stimuli, encapsulation of a wide range of active substances and surface functionalization provide perhaps the most effective approach for in-time diagnosis and treatment of diseases. These particles have the potential to reduce the time lapse between diagnosis and therapy. The richness of availability of monomers and their polymerization can be carried out to prepare a diverse range of biodegradable theranostic polymer particles for theranostic applications including imaging and drug delivery. These theranostic particles have opened up new horizons in biomedical research and consequently will play an increasing role in the future to find viable solutions for diseases through diagnostic and therapeutic functions.
