Concentric energy transfer with quantum dots for multiplexed biosensing.

Colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) and their bioconjugates are of great interest for bioanalysis and bioimaging. These brightly luminescent nanoparticles can be utilised as probes to light-up biological structures and report on biochemical processes, potentially providing new insight into fundamental biology or enabling better diagnostic methods. Some of the advantages of QDs in these applications include their spectrally narrow, size-tunable emission; broad, strong light absorption; resistance to photobleaching; and facile multicolour imaging and analysis. Over the last decade, a multitude of QD bioprobes based on Fo¨ rster resonance energy transfer (FRET) have been developed, where FRET is used to turn QD luminescence ‘on’ or ‘off ’ in response to binding of biological targets or other bioprocesses of interest. (Published: 3 September 2013) Citation: Nano Reviews 2013, 4 : 22428 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/nano.v4i0.22428