Aptamer-conjugated dendrimer-modified quantum dots for cancer cell targeting and imaging

Targeted quantum dots have shown potential as a platform for development of cancer imaging. Aptamers have recently been demonstrated as ideal candidates for molecular targeting applications. In the present work, polyamidoamine dendrimers were used to modify quantum dots and improve their solubility in water solution. Then, dendrimer-modified quantum dot nanocomposites conjugated with a DNA aptamer, GBI-10, can recognize the extracellular matrix protein tenascin-C on the surface of human glioblastoma cells. Aptamer-conjugated quantum dots can specifically target U251 human glioblastoma cells. High-performance aptamer-conjugated dendrimer-modified quantum dots maybe general nanoprobes, and have great potential in applications such as cancer targeting and molecular imaging.