Glossary Quantum Dot This is a nanoscale object (a diameter of a few tens of nanometres) constructed from metallic or semiconductor material. Quantum dots have unique electrical properties, which can be used for example to store electrons or to transform the colour of light (depending on its size, a quantum dot of the same material will emit (fluoresce) different coloured light). Quantum dots have applications in medical diagnostics, optoelectronics (where light is used to process information) and in energy conversion such as solar cells. They are made from a variety of different compounds, such as cadmium selenide.
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Imaging Medical imaging allows doctors to observe the effects of disease and damage to the body, however in the past it has been limited to certain tissues (e.g. bone), with soft tissues in particular being very difficult to image. Nanotechnology developments have allowed new imaging agents to be created which can efficiently “light-up” the desired tissues. These imaging agents consist of a targeting molecule, which can bind specifically to the diseased or damaged tissue (as described in the diagnostics section) and an imaging molecule, which can be detected by MRI, X-ray, ultrasound or any of a number of other imaging techniques in use in hospitals today. Leading the way are fullerenes (or buckyballs) which are cages of carbon atoms that can enclose an imaging molecule and be linked to targeting biomolecules. Quantum dots (used in diagnostic tests) can also be used for imaging within the body. In all these cases the imaging agent can accurately seek out and bind to the target diseased or damaged tissue after injection into the patient, allowing doctors to identify reliably the location and extent of disease or damage. |
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