Design of new quantum dot materials for deep tissue infrared imaging

Near infrared fluorescence offers several advantages for tissue and in vivo imaging thanks to deeper photon penetration. In this article, we review a promising class of near infrared emitting probes based on semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), which have the potential to considerably improve in vivo fluorescence imaging thanks to their high brightness and stability. We discuss in particular the different criteria to optimize the design of near infrared QDs. We present the recent developments in the synthesis of novel QD materials and their different in vivo imaging applications, including lymph node localization, vasculature imaging, tumor localization, as well as cell tracking and QD-based multimodal probes.