Quantum Dots in Diagnostics of Infectious and Non- Infectious Diseases: Current Scenario and Future Prospectus

Abstract

Infectious and non-infectious diseases pose a tremendous challenge to global public health. Existing technologies for detecting infectious and non-infectious diseases are mostly tedious, expensive, and do not meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) ASSURED (affordable, sensitive, specific, user-friendly, rapid and robust, equipment-free, and deliverable to end user) criteria. Early diagnosis of diseases can lead to effective control and early intervention of the patient's condition. Conventional approach for diseases diagnosis are including culture and microscopy, immunology (ELISA, fluorescent immunoassays, magnetic immunoassays, RIA, lateral flow immunoassays) and PCR have drawbacks like these are expensive, inaccurate, and require skilled technicians and time consuming process, especially for the earlier and rapid detection of infectious diseases. Over the past few decades, quantum dot have attracted widespread attention due to its immense potential in the area of diagnostic medicine for early detection of disease without relying on visible symptoms. This is largely due to their unique optical properties such as high brightness, narrow emission band, and resistance to photo bleaching, multiplexing capacity, and high surface-to-volume ratio and this will make them excellent candidates for intracellular tracking, diagnostics, in vivo imaging, and therapeutic delivery. In this mini review, we examine recent advances in the diagnosis of infectious and noninfectious diseases, which has based on quantum dot nanomaterial. The current state-of-the-art and most promising quantum dot based technologies, including, QD based Lateral Flow Immunoassay, Quantum dot-based paper strip devices, QD based biomarkers, QD based biosensor devices etc. Quantum dot based techniques, devices are promising accessories in modern biomedical applications, and these techniques will go to become the future of next-generation diagnostics.