ABSTRACT
Nanotechnology can profoundly affect cancer diagnosis and patient management in the future. Quantum dots (QDs), with their myriad advantages over conventional organic uorescent dyes on the one hand, and potential toxicity and instability in biological environment on the other, present a very intriguing
13.1 Introduction .................................................................................................. 320 13.2 Synthesis and Surface Modication of QDs for Imaging Applications ....... 321
13.2.1 The Ideal Imaging Probe .................................................................. 321 13.2.2 Synthesis ........................................................................................... 321 13.2.3 Surface Modication ........................................................................ 322 13.2.4 Strategies for Bioconjugation ............................................................ 324
13.3 In Vivo Active Targeting with QDs .............................................................. 324 13.3.1 Passive versus Active Targeting ........................................................324 13.3.2 Targeting Moieties for In Vivo Imaging with QDs ........................... 326
13.3.2.1 Proteins .............................................................................. 326 13.3.2.2 Peptides .............................................................................. 328 13.3.2.3 Other Targeting Moieties ................................................... 330
13.4 Multifunctional QDs for Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics ................... 331 13.4.1 Multimodality QDs ........................................................................... 331 13.4.2 Theranostics ...................................................................................... 334
13.5 Conclusion and Future Perspectives ............................................................. 337 Acknowledgments .................................................................................................. 338 References .............................................................................................................. 338
eld of research. In this chapter, we aim to summarize the progress in the use of molecularly targeted QD-based nanoprobes for in vivo imaging applications. We discuss the current state-of-the-art synthesis, surface modication, bioconjugation methodologies, and the recent advances in QD technology. We then highlight specic examples of actively targeted QDs including multifunctional and theranostic nanosystems, concluding the chapter with a brief overview of the challenges and future directions for this promising class of nanoprobes in molecular imaging.
