Abstract
Ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and gamma scintigraphy-based detection and bio-imaging technologies have achieved outstanding breakthroughs in recent years. However, these technologies still encounter several limitations such as insufficient sensitivity, specificity and security that limit their applications in cancer detection and bio-imaging. The semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are a kind of newly developed fluorescent nanoparticles that have superior fluorescence intensity, strong resistance to photo-bleaching, size-tunable light emission and could produce multiple fluorescent colors under single-source excitation. Furthermore, QDs have optimal surface to link with multiple targets such as antibodies, peptides, and several other small molecules. Thus, QDs might serve as potential, more sensitive and specific methods of detection than conventional methods applied in cancer molecular targeting and bio-imaging. However, many challenges such as cytotoxicity and nonspecific uptake still exist limiting their wider applications. In the present review, we aim to summarize the current applications and challenges of QDs in cancer research mainly focusing on tumor detection, bio-imaging, and provides opinions on how to address these challenges.
Highlights
Cancer is one of the most serious health threats globally
The rapid development of quantum dots (QDs) technology has already fulfilled some of the hopes of developing new and more effective cancer diagnostic and imaging probes
Despite the promise and usefulness of QDs in cancer detection and imaging far, there are still challenges to overcome in terms of boosting sensitivity, optimizing specificity, and lowering QD toxicity before clinical applications can move forward
Summary
Cancer is one of the most serious health threats globally. tremendous progress have been made in cancer diagnosis, detection, and therapy, the survivals of patients remained poor over decades [1]. Cancer detection and bio-imaging are crucial clinical tools to explore the primary tumor, determine appropriate cancer therapeutic options, and evaluate the curative effects and recurrence. Almost all of these techniques have their own limitations. They do not have sufficient sensitivity to detect primary or metastatic sites with small number of malignant cells. These imaging techniques are unable to detect specific cancer surface biomarkers. They are hazardous to humans to varying degrees. Development of new techniques with high sensitivity, specificity and less hazards are urgently required
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