title: Emerging application of quantum dots for drug delivery and therapy.
abstract: Quantum dots have proven themselves as powerful fluorescent probes, especially for long-term, multiplexed, and quantitative imaging and detection. Newly engineered quantum dots with integrated targeting, imaging and therapeutic functionalities have become excellent material to study drug delivery in cells and small animals. This fluorescent 'prototype' will provide important information in the rational design of biocompatible drug carriers and will serve as a superior alternative to magnetic and radioactive imaging contrast agents in preclinical drug screening, validation and delivery research. This Editorial article is not intended to offer a comprehensive review on drug delivery, but to highlight the breakthroughs in the emerging applications of quantum dots in this field and to provide our perspective on future research.
authors.forename: Lifeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Xiaohu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004337:Drug Carriers / Q000737:chemistry; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000737:chemistry*; D045663:Quantum Dots
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations