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The possibilities of designing and mastering the new physical and chemical properties of nano-structured materials have
been at the center of the large interest they have received in the academic and industrial domains. Confinement effects
and the enhanced role of the interface are key parameters. Designing composite materials with controlled nanometric
interfacing of different materials is offering new possibilities for developing new structures. Proper design allows to
create new properties to meet biological requirements. The purpose of this work is to illustrate the synthesis of various
types of nanocrystalline materials that can be used to tackle biological problems inside or outside of living specimens,
such as targeted drug delivery, ultra-sensitive disease detection and cell labelling. Two main classes of nanomaterials
uses will be discussed. The nanocrystalline materials developed are highly dispersable in water and coated providing
biocompatibility. They are elaborated either by precipitation or radiolysis. First, magnetic particles, often called
(U)SPIO for (Ultrasmall) SuperParamagnetic Iron Oxide, used as contrast agent for Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI) will be presented. Their use for magnetic hyperthermia is now envisaged for cancer treatment. Second, a new
generation of inorganic luminophors based on metal colloidal particles will be shown. The coupling of plasmon in
nearby particles (semiconductor or metal clusters) is used to enhance their oscillator strength and to target the incident
energy. The resulting composite nano-objects can be used for making the smallest possible labels with large oscillator
strengths. Those objects will greatly expand the accessibility of single molecule methods.
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