Superior Coatings for Semiconductor Quantum Dots

描述（由申请人提供）：半导体量子点纳米颗粒是用于体外和体内成像的有效荧光团。它们的可调谐，尺寸依赖性和强发射特性使其在许多应用中优于标准有机染料。然而，开发半导体量子点在生物医学中的应用的缺点是其组成元素的毒性，因为它们通常由有毒的二元化合物如硒化镉组成。在量子点可以获得广泛应用之前，需要减轻和/或钝化这种毒性的手段，特别是对于体内应用。该项目将使用一种新型涂层创建一个保护量子点的通用平台，这将有助于解决量子点的几个长期问题。新涂层在生理条件下是不可渗透的，将允许掺杂的半导体量子点的稳定化，并且可以与生物分子和其他靶向剂缀合。这项研究将为荧光量子点创造新的涂层，荧光量子点是一种新型的纳米粒子，可用于光发射疾病成像，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在实验室测试和患者中更安全、更有效的疾病诊断和治疗手段。

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.