Cellular uptake and subcellular localization of highly luminescent silica-coated CdSe quantum dots - In vitro and in vivo

► Silica-coated CdSe QDs exhibits strong fluorescence under biological conditions. ► Efficient cellular uptake and localization characteristics of QDs in cancer cells. ► Efficient cellular uptake and localization characteristics of QDs in stem cells. ► In vivo studies confirmed the distribution maxima of QDs.