Carbon Dots
Carbon dots are emerging as a valuable method for bioimaging, therapeutics, and sensing due to their high degree of biocompatibility and reduced toxicity compared to traditional quantum dots. When modified, carbon dots have widespread medical applications, solving high-interest issues in healthcare. Carbon dots provide superior bioimaging capabilities and high resolution results. They have been used in therapeutics to deliver drugs and as photothermal agents. Carbon dots can detect the presence of ions or the change of pH, and their therapeutic and imaging potentials are frequently combined in theranostic approaches.
Cancer Diagnosis and Therapeutics
Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) can be surface modified with small molecules for cancer therapeutics. We have successfully demonstrated that CQDs conjugated with dopamine kill cancer cells. In addition, the biomolecules expressed during cancer can be detected by using the fluorescence of CQDs for cancer diagnosis. Thus, CQDs are an emerging tool for cancer theranostics, which combines imaging and therapeutic approaches.
Bio-imaging
CQDs are non-toxic, environmentally friendly, have high photostability, and are resistant to photobleaching. This gives them an advantage to be used for bioimaging of cells, tissues, and animals. CQDs have been used to successfully examine architecture, organization, and intricate features down to the organelle level of cells.
Neuronal Differentiation
Neuronal differentiation is the first step of neuron development in which cells produce more dendrites and longer axons to connect with other nerve cells. This process plays a significant role in life, and damaged neurons can contribute to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, among others. We have shown that CQDs surface modified using dopamine promotes differentiation of neuronal cells.
Wound Care
We have demonstrated that carbon quantum dots synthesized from medicinal plant extract have exceptional wound care and healing properties, resulting in both wound closure and cell proliferation. We are also in the product development stage for a wound ointment based on carbon quantum dots from medicinal plants.
