Diagnostic and therapeutic applications of quantum dots in nanomedicine

The interest in Quantum Dots as a class of nanomaterials has grown considerably since their discovery by Ekimov and Efros in the early 1980s. Although this early work focussed primarily on CdSe-based nanocrystals, the field has now expanded to include various classes of nanoparticles with different types of core, shell or passivation chemistry. Such differences can have a profound effect on the optical properties and potential biocompatibility of the resulting constructs. Although QDs have predominantly been used for imaging and sensing applications, more examples of their use as therapeutics are beginning to emerge. In this chapter we discuss the progress made over the past decade in developing QDs for imaging and therapeutic applications.