Nanocrystal Targeting in vivo

Inorganic nanostructures that interface with biological systems have recently attracted widespread interest in biology and medicine. Nanoparticles are thought to have potential as novel intravascular probes for both diagnostic (e.g., imaging) and therapeutic purposes (e.g., drug delivery). Critical issues for successful nanoparticle delivery include the ability to target specific tissues and cell types and escape from the biological particulate filter known as the reticuloendothelial system. We set out to explore the feasibility of in vivo targeting by using semiconductor quantum dots (qdots). Qdots are small (