Quantum-dot and molecular ultrasound imaging agents
Brighter, longer-lasting fluorescent particles and targeted microbubbles that make tumours visible during surgery or on an ultrasound scan.
Semiconductor quantum dots are far brighter and more photostable than dyes, and shortwave-infrared emitters see several centimetres into tissue; targeted microbubbles make ultrasound molecular rather than anatomic, with BR55 imaging VEGFR2 in early human studies. Heavy-metal core toxicity has slowed quantum-dot translation, and cadmium-free designs are the active area. Clinically approved agents remain conventional dyes.
How it works
Nanocrystals or gas-filled microbubbles carrying targeting ligands accumulate at a molecular marker and are read out optically or acoustically.
- Brightness and photostability far beyond dyes
- Ultrasound is cheap, portable and radiation-free
- Multiplexing several markers at once
- Heavy-metal toxicity concerns for classic quantum dots
- Depth still limited for optical agents
- Long regulatory path for nanomaterials
Latest papers
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