Peptide coated quantum dots for biological applications.

Quantum dots (QDOTs) have been widely recognized by the scientific community and the biotechnology industry, as witnessed by the exponential growth of this field in the past several years. We describe the synthesis and characterization of visible and near infrared QDots--a critical step for engineering organic molecules like proteins and peptides for building nanocomposite materials with multifunctional properties suitable for biological applications.

Near-infrared peptide-coated quantum dots for small animal imaging.

We have synthesized high quality type-II CdTe/CdSe near infrared quantum dots using successive ion layer adsorption and reaction chemistry. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that CdTe/CdSe can be synthesized layer by layer yielding quantum dots of narrow size distribution. Excitation and photoluminescence spectra reveal discrete type-II transitions, which correspond to energy lower that type-I bandgap. We have used a peptide coating technique on type-II and commercial near infrared quantum dots for delivery in live animals and cultured cells.

Advances in fluorescence imaging with quantum dot bio-probes.

After much effort in surface chemistry development and optimization by several groups, fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals probes, also known as quantum dots or qdots, are now entering the realm of biological applications with much to offer to biologists. The road to success has been paved with hurdles but from these efforts has stemmed a multitude of original surface chemistries that scientists in the biological fields can draw from for their specific biological applications. The ability to easily modulate the chemical nature of qdot surfaces by employing one or more of the recently developed qdot coatings, together with their exceptional photophysics have been key elements for qdots to acquire a status of revolutionary fluorescent bio-probes. Indeed, the unique properties of qdots not only give biologists the opportunity to explore advanced imaging techniques such as single molecule or lifetime imaging but also to revisit traditional fluorescence imaging methodologies and extract yet unobserved or inaccessible information in vitro or in vivo.