Biomedicine and clinical practice are entering a new era in which nanotechnology plays a core role. Plasmonic nanoparticles are most interesting in this regard, given the possibility of fine-tuning light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. The assembly of plasmonic nanoparticles onto planar ensembles with short interparticle distances leads to novel and unique optoelectronic features due to long-range plasmon coupling over large areas. These extended plasmonic structures incorporated onto substrates are proposed as advanced platforms to address biological and medical challenges. In this review we analyze the state-of-the art of plasmonic substrates with respect to their feasibility toward applications in biomedicine. We first consider plasnnonic sensing of biomolecules and living cells, which is subsequently complemented by a further step toward the manipulation of living cells. We propose that plasmonic substrates will undoubtedly enrich biomedical practice for generalized use in the near future. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.