Semiconductor nanocrystals with detectable luminescent properties useful for imaging of cancer or other disease tissues

Available for licensing is intellectual property covering carbohydrate-encapsulated quantum dots (QD) for use in medical imaging and methods of making the same. Certain carbohydrates, especially those included on tumor glycoproteins are known to have affinity for certain cell types. One notable glycan used in the present invention is the Thomsen-Freidenreich disaccharide (Galb1-3GalNAc) that is readily detectable in 90% of all primary human carcinomas and their metastases. These glycans can be exploited for medical imaging. Quantum Dots (QDs) are semiconductor nanocrystals (CdSe or CdTe) with detectable luminescent properties. Encapsulating luminescent QDs with target-specific glycans permits efficient imaging of the tissue to which the glycans bind with high affinity. Accurate imaging of diseased cells (e.g., primary and metastatic tumors) is of primary importance in disease management. The inventors describe a method for enhancing the luminescence of carbohydrate-encapsulated QDs by addition of specific functional units in a novel synthesis of hybrid CdTe-based core- shell semiconductor nanocrystals.

PCT Application No. PCT/US03/34897 filed 05 Nov 2003 (HHS Reference No. E-325-2003/0-PCT-01) Inventors: Joseph Barchi, Sergey Svarovsky (NCI) Related case: Carbohydrate-Encapsulated Quantum Dots for Cell-Specific Biological Imaging (HHS Reference No. E-133- 2004/0-US-01)

Licensees sought: Available for non-exclusive or exclusive licensing. Collaborative Research Opportunity: The National Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Research, Laboratory of Medicinal Chemistry is seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop, evaluate, or commercialize carbohydrate-encapsulated quantum dots. Please contact Dr. Melissa Maderia by phone: (301) 846-5465 or fax: (301) 846- 6820 or e-mail: maderiam@mail.nih.gov for more information.