Anisotropic gold nanoparticles, such as, for instance, nanorods and nanostars, have been integrated in many areas of biomedical research, including, but not limited to, imaging, sensing, and therapy. While the use of gold has remained relatively consistent due to, primarily, its biocompatibility, the choice of morphology to employ has depended on the intended application. Regardless of the application, attention must be paid toward the definition of best practices for the synthesis, functionalization, and characterization of nanoparticles, especially when they need to be interfaced with the biological milieu.In my talk, I will report on our recent observations concerning the design of gold nanostars to target the biologically transparent window of the electromagnetic spectrum, the optimization of synthetic monodispersity to improve single cell applicability, and the careful control of relevant bioconjugation steps that need to be implemented to realize functional intracellular biosensors. I will focus in particular on the synthesis of highly monodispersed gold nanostars with resonant bands extending up to 2000 nm, on the use of surfactant free nanostars for the design of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) nanoprobes for the stratification of prostate cancer patients, and the use of tunable silica shell to increase stability of the nanostars while also enhancing their SERS response. I will also report on the effect of the protein corona on the performance of fluorescent flares and SERS beacons for the identification and quantification of influenza A virus (IAV) RNA both in buffer and in individual intact cells.Despite the broad applicability of anisotropic gold nanoparticles, often a complete understanding of their properties and the steps needed to reproducibly and accurately achieve them is lacking. Due to the intrinsic complexity of the biological milieu, the consistency of the probes used to understand it is even more imperative and thus requires even more synthetic control. I will therefore, in conclusion, present some tips and guidelines that will hopefully stimulate an interactive conversation on the topic.