Abstract
Over the past decade, incredible advancements in the domain of nanocarriers, biomaterials, imaging modalities, and molecular biology have made significant headway in the realm of cancer nanomedicine across the globe. In this regard, tiny, robust and bright-light-emitter devices possess unique ability to convert light into any color in the visible spectrum owing to their unique size and composition. These magical dots not only enable live cell and whole animal imaging, but also direct the chemotherapeutic agents and macromolecules to the targeted site, thus, revealing the molecular mechanism(s) of the same. The current framework focuses on the engineering and functionalization of these luminescent nanocrystals for integrated targeting, imaging, and achieving therapeutic efficacy employing a variety of polymers. In addition, the flexible surface chemistry, unique optical properties, high sensitivity, and multiplexing capabilities of quantum dots (QDs) make them one of the most promising tools for personalized medicine. This chapter focuses on the architecture and various approaches used for functionalization of QD probes. The chapter not only highlights the potential role of QDs as antitumor theranostic agents in drug delivery, gene delivery, and recently emerged photodynamic therapy, but also reviews their safety concerns and futuristic perspectives.
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