*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.103688 Advances in Graphene Platforms for Drug Delivery in Cancer and Its Biocompatibility*

physiological systems in order to decide whether a nanobiotechnological product should be tested in humans [3, 4].

The incorporation of nanomaterials into biological systems requires strategies for manipulating the ligands bound to the surface to make them more polar and biocompatible [5]. Nanomaterials must be soluble to have the biological application, and this is achieved by adding functional groups (functionalization). An ideal ligand must meet the following requirements: (1) provide stability and solubility to the nanomaterial in biological buffers; (2) maintain high resistance to photobleaching and other photophysical properties in aqueous media; (3) have functional groups that can conjugate biomolecules (conjugation), and (4) minimize the overall hydrodynamic

**Figure 1.**

*Application of GQDs platforms for cancer treatment. Cellular targets and effects of GQDs platforms in cell lines and experimental animals.*

size [6, 7]. Quantum dots (QDs) are among the most popular nanomaterials: they are semiconductor nanoparticles with photoluminescent properties and a wide variety of applications.

Functionalized QDs are very useful in biomedicine because they can be modified with a great variety of molecules and small biological polymers, which help improve their bioactivity and reduce their toxic effects [8–10]. Thanks to these characteristics, QDs can bind effectively to cell membranes, meaning they can be employed as excellent probes for cell detection, diagnosis, imaging, and delivery of therapeutic agents. Due to the great coupling achieved between QDs and biomolecules, today these are used as a tool for biological goals, to improve the efficacy of drug release control and significantly reduce toxicity [11–13]. At present, a wide range of studies on GQD platforms are mainly focused on cancer treatment (**Table 1** and **Figure 1**). This chapter will review the advances in all these areas, as well as aspects related to the toxicity and biocompatibility of GQDs.
