This technology includes a new class of nanoparticles in the carbon family, fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs), exhibiting superb physical and chemical properties for diagnostic imaging applications. We have developed a simple, fast, and robust method to encapsulate FNDs in polydopamine that can be further functionalized. By integrating anatomical and molecular based imaging capabilities, multimodal nanoparticle probes are becoming important in the paradigm shift from conventional to future imaging technologies. FNDs provide a highly stable, biocompatible, and nontoxic multimodal nanoprobe for effective and precise integrated diagnosis applications for various disease. In the near term the FNDs have proven to be effective research tools, the effectiveness of which will be enhanced with the several multimode imaging approaches that can be achieved with the FNDs.