A fluorescence microscopy study of quantum dots as fluorescent probes for brain tumor diagnosis

In vivo fluorescent spectroscopy and imaging using endogenous and exogenous sources of contrast can provide new approaches for enhanced demarcation of brain tumor margins and infiltration. Quantum dots (QDs), nanometer-size fluorescent probes, represent excellent contrast agents for biomedical imaging due to their broader excitation spectrum, narrower emission spectra, and higher sensitivity and stability. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is implicated in the development and progression of a number of human solid tumors including brain tumors and thus a potential target for brain tumor diagnosis. In this study, we investigate the up-take of ODs by brain tumor cells and the potential use of EGFR-targeted QDs for enhanced optical imaging of brain tumors. We conducted fluorescence microscopy studies of the up-take mechanism of the anti-EGFR-ODs complexes by Human U87, and SKMG-3 glioblastoma cells. Our preliminary results show that QDs can enter into glioma cells through anti-EGFR mediated endocytosis, suggesting that these nano-size particles can tag brain tumor cells.