Chemists from Russia and Switzerland created biosafe luminescent nanoparticles for imaging tumors and blood vessels damaged by heart attack or stroke. The particles are made of hafnium oxide that is allowed for intravenous injection, and doped with ions of rare earth metals.
The scientists hope that the development will give an alternative to toxic quantum dots and help imaging deep tissues without harming a human body. The study appeared in Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces.
