Fig. 2From: Delivery of cancer therapies by synthetic and bio-inspired nanovectorsChemically engineered nanoparticles for cancer therapy. This class of nanovectors is commonly divided between inorganic and organic nanoparticles. Inorganic nanoparticles (e.g. metallic, silica, carbon, quantum dots) are characterized by a high stability, a low biodegradability and intrinsic electronical and optical properties suitable for cancer imaging and theranostics. Because of their solid core, therapeutic molecules are generally conjugated on their surface and may be exposed to rapid degradation in vivo. Organic nanoparticles (e.g. lipid-based, macromolecular assemblies) exhibit a lower stability but a good biocompatibility and multiple possibilities of drug functionalization on their surface or their inner space. Hybrid nanoparticles combine the advantages of both inorganic and organic families to improve the biocompatibility and the stability of the nanovectorBack to article page