Display omitted •Novel hybrid nanostructures have multi-functional features.•Organic and inorganic hybrid nanostructures have renewed applications in nanomedicine.•Applications include combination chemotherapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy, imaging. Hybrid nanostructures are nanocomposites constructed from at least two different types of materials to imbibe the individual advantages while overcoming individual shortcomings and forming one nanostructure with superior properties not possessed by single component nanostructures. Organic and inorganic hybrid nanostructures are a class of promising nanocomposites that possess interesting biological and physicochemical properties, making them highly attractive in biomedical applications. Recently, organic hybrid nanostructures such as hybrid lipid-based systems, hybrid polymeric nanoparticles, micelles, dendrimers and inorganic hybrid nanostructures such as metal nanoparticles, hybrid carbon nanomaterials, hollow mesoporous silica nanoparticles, hybrid magnetic nanoparticles and layered double hydroxides nanosheets and organic–inorganic hybrid nanostructures are developed for implementation in nanomedicine. Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the employment of hybrid nanostructures in biomedical fields for gene therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, combination chemotherapy, imaging platform, photodynamic and photothermal therapy. Novel hybrid nanostructures with multi-functional features have been evolved. This review summarizes the recent development and applications and directs the future perspective of hybrid nanostructures in biomedical applications.