Aptamer functionalized nanomaterials for biomedical applications: Recent advances and new horizons

•Aptamer functionalized nanomaterials (AFMs) use in the biomedical field are reviewed.•The conjunction strategies for synthesizing novel AFMs are fully introduced.•The versatile roles of nanomaterials in advanced AFMs are discussed.•AFMs as an efficient nanostructure can be used in drug delivery, bioimaging, & aptasensor.•The challenges and perspectives of AFMs research are also addressed.