Uncorrected proofGold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have arisen a lot of interest in the clinical realms of nanomedicine. Despite the large ad- vances made in cancer research using AuNPs, their use in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) is still in its infancy. Herein, it is discussed the properties, functionalization, and emerging use of AuNPs as a multifunctional and multimodal platform for drug delivery, phototherapy, diagnostic and cell imaging purposes. Moreover, the recent reports related to the ability of AuNPs to enhance stem cell differentiation for bone tissue engineering, to enhance the mechanical and adhesive properties of scaffolds and surface topography to guide cell behaviors are addressed.The authors would like to thank QREN (ON.2 –
NORTE-01-0124-FEDER-000018) co-financed by North Portugal
Regional Operational Program (ON.2 – O Novo Norte), under the National
Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF), through the European
Regional Development Fund (ERDF) for providing financial support
to this project. The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology
(FCT) distinction attributed to J.M. Oliveira under the FCT
Investigator program (IF/00423/2012) is also greatly acknowledged.
The authors also thank the financial support provided under the ERC
funded project ComplexiTE (Grant
ERC-2012-ADG_20120216-321266)
