9 - Quantum dots: an emerging implication of nanotechnology in cancer diagnosis and therapy

Abstract

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the world behind cardiovascular disease. It is considered to be the cause of one out of every six deaths worldwide. If cancer is diagnosed and treated early, fatality rates can be lowered. Nanotechnology is a fantastic science that can not only improve cancer diagnostics but also provide detection strategies with greater reliability, susceptibility, and specificity. Development of optical-based functional nanoparticles, such as quantum dots (QDs), is an emerging area of nanotechnology. QDs are semiconductor nanocrystals that emit fluorescence on excitation with a light source. QDs have excellent photophysical properties such as their excitation spectrum width can be adjusted continuously; large Stokes shifts of QDs allow multicolor detection with a single wavelength–excitation source; they are resistant to photobleaching; high sensitivity, strong fluorescence, and stability. The design and development of QDs has advanced considerably in cancer diagnosis and therapy due to versatile and unique characteristics. This chapter provides readers with knowledge-based information that may assist them in learning more about the potential of QDs nanotechnology for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.