Quantum dots reviewed — Could these nanoparticles hold the cure to cancer?September 15, 2006Review of quantum dot technologies for cancer detection and treatment The worlds of medical and biological research are abuzz with the promises offered by nanoparticles known as semiconductor quantum dots. These Quantum Dots (QDs) have unique optical and electronic properties that make them suitable for breakthrough treatments such as the detection and destruction of cancer cells. Just released on the nanotechnology website AZoNano, is a comprehensive review of the latest literature and studies into Quantum Dots. The review by Sandeep Kumar Vashist, Rupinder Tewari, Ram Prakash Bajpai, Lalit Mohan Bharadwaj and Roberto Raiteri, researchers from a range of Italian and Indian universities and research organisations, has been released as part of AZoJono*, the open access AZo Journal of Nanotechnology Online. With a focus on the use of QDs in cancer detection and treatment, the review includes a detailed examination of Quantum Dot advantages, their synthesis, properties and applications, toxic effects, use in imaging and analysis plus Quantum Dot drug delivery systems. The paper also outlines some early success in the detection and treatment of breast cancer. The paper concludes with a quick look at what the future may hold for Quantum Dots in providing new insights into understanding the pathophysiology of cancer and real time imaging and screening of tumours. The level of details provided in this valuable review paper could easily make up a chapter in an expensive text book. However, this paper is available to access free of charge in its entirety at http://www.azonano.com/Details.asp?ArticleID=1726 AZoNetwork |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Nanoparticle Current Events and Nanoparticle News Articles Small nanoparticles bring big improvement to medical imaging If you're watching the complex processes in a living cell, it is easy to miss something important-especially if you are watching changes that take a long time to unfold and require high-spatial-resolution imaging. Duke develops nano-scale drug delivery for chemotherapy Going smaller could bring better results, especially when it comes to cancer-fighting drugs. Hard Rain: Pitt-led Researchers Create Nano-Particle Coating to Prevent Freezing Rain Buildup on Roads, Power Lines Preventing the havoc wrought when freezing rain collects on roads, power lines, and aircrafts could be only a few nanometers away. Berkeley Researchers Find New Route to Nano Self-Assembly If the promise of nanotechnology is to be fulfilled, nanoparticles will have to be able to make something of themselves. An important advance towards this goal has been achieved by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) who have found a simple and yet powerfully robust way to induce nanoparticles to assemble themselves into complex arrays. Detecting the undetectable in prostate cancer screening A team of Northwestern University researchers, using an extremely sensitive tool based on nanotechnology, has detected previously undetectable levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in patients who have undergone radical prostatectomy. Clemson bioengineer uses nanoparticles to target drugs Clemson bioengineer Frank Alexis is designing new ways to target drugs and reduce the chances for side effects. Novel polymer delivers genetic medicine, allows tracking Theresa M. Reineke, associate professor of chemistry in the College of Science, and colleagues in her lab at Virginia Tech and at the University of Cincinnati have developed a new molecule that can travel into cells, deliver genetic cargo, and packs a beacon so scientists can follow its movements in living systems. Engineers Produce 'How-To' Guide for Controlling the Structure of Nanoparticles Tiny objects known as nanoparticles are often heralded as holding great potential for future applications in electronics, medicine and other areas. New discovery reveals fate of nanoparticles in human cells Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have uncovered what happens to biomimetic nanoparticles when they enter human cells. Topical erectile dysfunction therapy shows promise An innovative drug-delivery system - nanoparticles encapsulating nitric oxide or prescription drugs - shows promise for topical treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED), according to a new study by scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. More Nanoparticle Current Events and Nanoparticle News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||