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Standard Review
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Emerging trends in
nanobiotechnology
K. Sobha1*, K. Surendranath2, V.
Meena3, T. Keerthi Jwala1, N. Swetha1
and K. S. M. Latha1
1Department of Biotechnology, RVR and JC College of Engineering,
Chowdavaram, Guntur – 522 019, Andhra Pradesh, India.
2Department of Physics, RVR and JC College of Engineering, Chowdavaram,
Guntur – 522 019, Andhra Pradesh, India.
3Department of Chemical Engineering, Andhra University, Visakhapatnam –
530 003, Andhra Pradesh, India.
*Corresponding author. E-mail:
sobha_kota@yahoo.co.in.
Accepted
22 January, 2010. |
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Abstract |
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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. |
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