Biotechnological Advancements of Functional Graphene Materials

The engineering of graphene materials (G) with functional molecules such as drugs, natural compounds, biomolecules, polymers, metal nanoparticles, by covalent and/or not covalent approaches gives rise to Functional Graphene Nanomaterials (FGN) endowed with unique properties1. The diverse and exceptional physicochemical and biological behavior of FGN originated from the synergistic combination of G related properties, such as high specific surface area, high availability of surface functional groups, tunable electrical conductivity and mechanical properties, with good biocompatibility and versatile biofunctionality make them potential nanoplatforms for biological applications2. However, the road of FGN in nanomedicine seems still very long and winding because the current knowledge about the FGN/cell interactions and the safety issues are not yet sufficiently clarified. Here, we report our recent investigations on FGN bearing β-cyclodestrin (CD) units, their physico-chemical properties, intracellular trafficking and biological responses3 (Figure 1).