User:
Lily Yang, Associate Professor of Surgical Oncology Research, Emory University School of Medicine
Project:
Using in vivo imaging to validate tumor target molecules
Problem:
Cancer cells can occur anywhere in the body, so Yang's imaging method must be detectable through thick tissue mass. She uses quantum dots that are engineered to emit light at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths, which are only mildly attenuated and scattered by tissue. NIR has great spectral characteristics, but it is not as stable as QDs that emit in the visible range - its fluorescence degrades when directly exposed to the environment.
Solution:
QDs absorb light over a broad range of wavelengths and then emit light in a narrow emission band. Yang works with QD engineers to define the absorption and emission properties she needs, and then put on a polymer coating to preserve the optical properties of the NIR QDs. She then conjugates with ligands ...
