Biomimetic thiol terminated glycopolymers PGAMA-PCL-SH were effectively anchored on the surface of gold nanorods to prepare the biomimetic glycopolymers modified gold nanoparticles (Gly@ Au NRs). UV-Vis, XPS, DLS and TGA were used to characterize Gly@ Au NRs. NIR-induced heating of an aqueous suspension of Gly@ Au NRs was performed. Then, curcumin (CUR) was loaded into Gly@ Au NRs and the in vitro release of CUR was studied. We found that the NIR-laser irradiation can control the drug release effectively. Moreover, cell viability studies revealed that the cytotoxicity of the Gly@ Au NRs complexes was remarkably improved as compared to that of the original Au NRs. Consequently, the Gly@ Au NRs complexes can be used as biocompatible vehicles to realize the controlled drug release by remote NIR-laser irradiation.