Superior Coatings for Semiconductor Quantum Dots

描述(申请人提供)：半导体量子点纳米颗粒是体外和体内成像的有效荧光材料。它们的可调性、大小依赖和强发射特性使其在许多应用中表现出优于标准有机染料的性能。然而，利用半导体量子点开发生物医学应用的一个缺点是其组成元素的有毒性质，因为它们通常由有毒的二元化合物组成，如硒化镉。在量子点获得广泛应用，特别是体内应用之前，需要采取措施减轻和或钝化这种毒性。该项目将创建一个通用平台，使用一种新型涂层来保护量子点，这将有助于解决量子点的几个长期存在的问题。这种新的涂层在生理条件下是不透水的，将允许稳定掺杂的半导体量子点，并且可以与生物分子和其他靶向剂结合。这项研究将为荧光量子点创造新的涂层，这是一种新型的纳米粒子，可以用来对发光疾病进行成像，并用于其他医疗诊断程序。该项目带来的公共卫生效益将包括更安全、更有效的疾病诊断和治疗手段，无论是在实验室测试中还是在患者身上。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Semiconductor quantum dot nanoparticles are potent fluorphores for in vitro and in vivo imaging. Their tunable, size-dependent and strong emission characteristics make them outperform standard organic dyes in many applications. However, a drawback to developing applications with semiconductor quantum dots in biomedicine is the toxic nature of their constituent elements, as they typically consist of toxic binary compounds such as cadmium selenide. Means to alleviate and or passivate this toxicity are needed before quantum dots can gain widespread application, particularly for in vivo applications. This project will create a universal platform for protecting quantum dots using a new type of coating that will help solve several long-standing problems with quantum dots. The new coating is impermeable under physiological conditions, will allow stabilization of doped semiconductor quantum dots and can be conjugated to biomolecules and other targeting agents. This research will create new coatings for fluorescent quantum dots, which are a new type of nanoparticle that can be used to image disease with light emission and for use in other in medical diagnostic procedures. Public health benefits resulting from this project will include safer, more potent means for diagnosis and treatment of disease, both in laboratory tests and for patients.