ABSTRACT
In clinical practice, early cancer detection and adequate therapies are key issues for effective and successful outcomes. In this context, biomarker evaluation using reliable imaging techniques is essential for an accurate diagnosis that will ultimately impact the selection of the best therapeutic strategy. Novel types of fluorescent nanoparticles, known as quantum dots, are considered promising tools for diagnosis purposes. A number of specific features characterize quantum dots and distinguish them from the conventional organic fluorophores and dye. The size, structure, and composition of quantum dots are variable and can be modulated to obtain the desired emission properties, thus enabling the selection of molecules that are best suitable for each application. Quantum dots can be conjugated with peptides, proteins, oligonucleotides, and other biomolecules for therapeutic approaches as drug delivery or imaging for surgical guidance, thus amplifying the range of applications in biomedicine. Quantum dots are a valuable tool with great potential that is being explored in many distinct areas including biomedicine.
