Abstract

Nanobiotechnology, an exciting interdisciplinary field of science, is making rapid progress in recent years with the development of new kinds of materials with all the desired physico-chemical properties needed for their successful application in various fields, in particular, medicine. Nanomaterials find applications in different thrust areas of medicine like therapeutics, diagnostics, surgical devices/implants, novel drug delivery systems etc. Recent advancements in this field include the development of semiconductor nanocrystals called “Quantum Dots” (QDs) and their very recent modifications called “Cornell Dots” (CU). Both QDs and CUs have extra-ordinary physico-chemical properties and have either low or no toxicity at all depending on the type of shell coated around the heavy metal. Of late, the toxic heavy metal core is also being replaced suitably for avoiding any potential risk during the long accumulation periods of these particles in biological tissues. This review focuses on the emerging trends in the development of wide array of nanomaterials for biological applications. The areas of emphasis include mainly the QDs - their properties, toxicity studies and some of their biological applications like labeling of cellular structures/molecules, cell uptake, biocompatibility, bioconjugation etc. Also, a short note is added on Cornell dots.

Key words: Nanobiotechnology, nanomaterials, quantum dots, Cornell dots, biological applications, biocompatibility, bioconjugation etc.