New developments in the biomedical chemistry of metal complexes: from small molecules to nanotheranostic design

Recent advancements in bioimaging involving metal complexes with a focus on organometallic and coordination complexes are discussed with the aim to highlight their applications towards a new era in diagnostics: personalised medicine. The use of small molecules encapsulated within or attached to nanostructures for multimodal imaging and/or theranostic applications will be also discussed. Probes for imaging methods such as luminescence, PET, SPECT and MRI will be included as each modality possessing its own advantages and limitations. The current drive towards combination of techniques which will lead to complementary information on processes in cells and tissues and a more accurate, earlier diagnosis of tumours will also be discussed. The possibility of simultaneous diagnosis and therapy draws closer the advancement of probes from ‘bench to bedside’ and will be underlined in this review.