Hypoxia-Sensitive Materials for Biomedical Applications

Hypoxia is a typical hallmark of various diseases, including cancer, ischemic diseases, and stroke. It is also associated with the disease progression. Therefore, it is critical to develop an effective strategy to target the hypoxic region for diagnosis and treatment. In this review, we summarize recent progress in the development of hypoxia-responsive systems for imaging, sensing and therapy. Two types of hypoxia-sensitive systems, the hypoxia inducible factor-1 based systems and bioreductive molecule based systems, were reviewed with comments on their advantages and limitations. Future opportunities and challenges are also discussed in the end.