A method for the identification of individual components of a particle, the method comprising the steps of: i. providing a plurality of tagged particles comprising at least one component from each of a)-c): a) a carrier selected from the group consisting of liposomes, polymeric particles, micelles, albumin complexes, dendrimers, metal colloids and ceramics, b) a cargo molecule selected from the group consisting of drugs, oligonucleotides, proteins, antibodies, radioisotopes, markers, metal ions, adjuvants, organic molecules, small molecules and cytokines, and c) a surface molecule (Z, T) selected from the group consisting of antibodies, antibody fragments, antibody mimics, peptides, proteins, ligands, aptamers, polymers, drugs, organic molecules, small molecules, sugars, oligonucleotides, carbohydrates and linkers, and an oligonucleotide tag comprising one oligonucleotide tag sub-segment (p, k, t, z) for each component from a)-c), ii. contacting said plurality of tagged particles with a sample, iii. evaluating the ability of the tagged particles to induce biological, morphological, chemical, biochemical, catalytic, physical and/or physiological changes on the sample, iv. identifying one or more tagged particles causing a specific change, v. recovering from the sample said one or more tagged particles causing the specific change, and vi. identifying by their oligonucleotide tag the at least one component from each of a)-c) of said one or more recovered tagged particles. i. providing a plurality of tagged particles comprising at least one component from each of a)-c): a) a carrier selected from the group consisting of liposomes, polymeric particles, micelles, albumin complexes, dendrimers, metal colloids and ceramics, b) a cargo molecule selected from the group consisting of drugs, oligonucleotides, proteins, antibodies, radioisotopes, markers, metal ions, adjuvants, organic molecules, small molecules and cytokines, and c) a surface molecule (Z, T) selected from the group consisting of antibodies, antibody fragments, antibody mimics, peptides, proteins, ligands, aptamers, polymers, drugs, organic molecules, small molecules, sugars, oligonucleotides, carbohydrates and linkers, and an oligonucleotide tag comprising one oligonucleotide tag sub-segment (p, k, t, z) for each component from a)-c), a) a carrier selected from the group consisting of liposomes, polymeric particles, micelles, albumin complexes, dendrimers, metal colloids and ceramics, b) a cargo molecule selected from the group consisting of drugs, oligonucleotides, proteins, antibodies, radioisotopes, markers, metal ions, adjuvants, organic molecules, small molecules and cytokines, and c) a surface molecule (Z, T) selected from the group consisting of antibodies, antibody fragments, antibody mimics, peptides, proteins, ligands, aptamers, polymers, drugs, organic molecules, small molecules, sugars, oligonucleotides, carbohydrates and linkers, ii. contacting said plurality of tagged particles with a sample, iii. evaluating the ability of the tagged particles to induce biological, morphological, chemical, biochemical, catalytic, physical and/or physiological changes on the sample, iv. identifying one or more tagged particles causing a specific change, v. recovering from the sample said one or more tagged particles causing the specific change, and vi. identifying by their oligonucleotide tag the at least one component from each of a)-c) of said one or more recovered tagged particles.