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Semiconductor Fluorescent Quantum Dots: Efficient Biolabels in Cancer Diagnostics

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Micro and Nano Technologies in Bioanalysis

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology™ ((MIMB,volume 544))

Summary

We present and discuss results and features related to the synthesis of water-soluble semiconductor quantum dots and their application as fluorescent biomarkers in cancer diagnostics. We have prepared and applied different core-shell quantum dots, such as cadmium telluride-cadmium sulfide, CdTe-CdS, and cadmium sulfide-cadmium hydroxide, CdS/Cd(OH)2, in living healthy and neoplastic cells and tissues samples. The CdS/Cd(OH)2 quantum dots presented the best results, maintaining high levels of luminescence as well as high photostability in cells and tissues. Labeled tissues and cells were analyzed by their resulting fluorescence, via conventional fluorescence microscopy or via laser scanning confocal microscopy. The procedure presented in this work was shown to be efficient as a potential tool for fast and precise cancer diagnostics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biophysics and Radiobiology, Federal University of Pernambuco, Cidade Universitária, Recife, PE, CEP: 50670-901, Brazil

    Patricia M. A. Farias, Beate S. Santos & Adriana Fontes

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  1. Patricia M. A. Farias
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  2. Beate S. Santos
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  3. Adriana Fontes
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Correspondence to Patricia M. A. Farias .

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    © 2009 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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    Farias, P.M.A., Santos, B.S., Fontes, A. (2009). Semiconductor Fluorescent Quantum Dots: Efficient Biolabels in Cancer Diagnostics. In: Foote, R., Lee, J. (eds) Micro and Nano Technologies in Bioanalysis. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 544. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-483-4_27

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-483-4_27

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    • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

    • Print ISBN: 978-1-934115-40-4

    • Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-483-4

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