Elisabeth Manville
May 21, 2012
Featured

Quantum dots safe for primates

A new study has shown that quantum dots are safe in primates over at least a one-year period. The luminescent crystals that hold great promise for both detecting and treating diseases like cancer. To gauge the toxicity of the quantum dots, scientists injected four rhesus monkeys with cadmium-selenide quantum dots. All of the monkeys appeared to be in normal health over one year, with two monkeys observed a year longer also illness-free. One potential issue is the build-up of cadmium, as elevated levels were found in the primates even after 90 days. While more testing will be required to determine long-term effects, the results are significant. "This is the first study that uses primates as animal models for in vivo studies with quantum dots," coauthor Paras Prasad said. "So far, such toxicity studies have focused only on mice and rats, but humans are very different from mice. More studies using animal models that are closer to humans are necessary."