Fluorescent super paramagnetic nanoparticles for medical diagnosis and treatment

There is an increasing need for early detection and treatment of cancer before a tumor mass becomes evident as anatomical anomaly. Highly fluorescent nanoparticles suitable for in vivo detection of tumor cells represent a promising strategy to surpass current limitations in cancer diagnostic and tumor therapy. However, an optimum nanostructure that simultaneously offers multiple functionalities, including intensive fluorescence and therapeutic efficacy, has yet to be developed. In this study, we report the design of a new nanostructure that ideally satisfies important requirements. Quantum dots (QDs) were immobilized on the surfaces of Fe₃O₄-composite nanospheres (MNS). The QDs on these MNS exhibited intense visible emission by fluorescent spectroscopy and successfully facilitated, for the first time, in vivo soft tissue imaging in live mice.