SBIR Phase I: Radial-position Controlled Lanthanide Doped Nanocrystals as Time-resolved Fluorescence Imaging Agents

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop highly bright and stable lanthanide doped semiconductor nanocrystals as Time-Resolved Fluorescence (TRF) imaging agents. Lanthanide chelates have exceptionally long fluorescence lifetimes, and thus are used as fluorescent probe in the time-resolved fluorescent imaging to minimize the autofluorescence which is typically characterized by a short fluorescence lifetime. However long-standing difficulties with lanthanide probes - e.g. the instability and poor compatibility with biomolecule, have limited their applications. The lanthanide doped semiconductor nanocrystals to be developed in this program would have the advantageous features of high brightness, high stability, easily surface modification to be compatible with biomolecules such as protein and DNA; and thus can be widely used in TRF imaging. The expansion of applications of bioimaging in the life and biomedical sciences is creating new market opportunity for imaging agents; of which, the market is huge and will grow from current $4.0 billion to above $5.0 billion before 2009. The commercialization of new type of lanthanide based TRF imaging agents will largely depend on the improvements in the luminescent efficiency and stability of the products. The broader impact of the technology from this project will be to enable more extensive use of time-resolved fluorescence imaging in the life and biomedical sciences.