Imaging pancreatic cancer with folic acid terminated luminescent silicon nanocrystals

Quantum dots have great potential for visualization of medically relevant targets such as cancer. However, potential toxicity, stemming from the use of heavy metal based semidonductor materials, has been a major impediment to use of quantum dots in vivo. Silicon is an inherently non-toxic element. By combining the unique optical properties of silicon quantum dots with fundamentals of cancer biology, we can develop probes that safely target and enable the visualization of cancer cells. Many cancer cells overexpress folate receptors, making the folate receptors a suitable target for cancer imaging evaluations. Here, we report the synthesis of folic acid coated silicon quantum dots for targeting pancreatic cancer cells. Folic acid on the silicon quantum dots improves selectivity and may decrease possible negative side effects. This demonstration adds to the evidence that silicon can be sucessfully used for biological imaging.