Surface plasmons — light-induced oscillations of electrons at the surface of nanoplasmonic metallic nanoparticles or nanostructures — can be used in a wide range of applications. Such nanoplasmonic optical antennas can be interfaced with biological systems to answer diverse questions in life sciences and to solve problems in translational medicine. In particular, nanoplasmonics provide insight and solutions for intracellular exploration, gene delivery and regulation, and rapid precision molecular diagnostics. In this Review, we examine the development of nanoplasmonic optical antennas for in vitro and in vivo applications. We evaluate the use of optical nanoplasmonic antennas for the optical detection of mRNA in living cells and for in vivo molecular imaging. We also discuss nanoplasmonic optical antennas for in vivo gene delivery and the optical control of gene circuits. Finally, we highlight the use of nanoplasmonic-based molecular diagnostic systems for ultrafast precision medicine.

表面等离子体激元（在纳米等离子体金属纳米粒子或纳米结构的表面上光诱导的电子振荡）可用于广泛的应用中。这种纳米等离子体光学天线可以与生物系统接口，以回答生命科学中的各种问题并解决转化医学中的问题。尤其是，纳米等离子体技术为细胞内探索，基因传递和调控以及快速精确的分子诊断提供了见识和解决方案。在这篇综述中，我们研究了用于体外和体内应用的纳米等离子体光学天线的发展。我们评估光学纳米等离子天线用于活细胞中mRNA的光学检测和体内分子成像的使用。我们还讨论了用于体内基因传递和基因电路的光学控制的纳米等离子体光学天线。最后，我们重点介绍了基于纳米等离子体的分子诊断系统在超快精密医学中的应用。