Nanotechnology and molecular cytogenetics: the future has not yet arrived

Quantum dots (QDs) are a novel class of inorganic fluorochromes composed of nanometer-scale crystals made of a semiconductor material. They are resistant to photo-bleaching, have narrow excitation and emission wavelengths that can be controlled by particle size and thus have the potential for multiplexing experiments. Given the remarkable optical properties that quantum dots possess, they have been proposed as an ideal material for use in molecular cytogenetics, specifically the technique of fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH). In this review, we provide an account of the current QD-FISH literature, and speculate as to why QDs are not yet optimised for FISH in their current form. Prof. Darren Griffin holds the chair in genetics at the University of Kent, Canterbury, UK. He is a graduate of the University of Manchester (BSc and DSc) and University College London (PhD). He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathology and of the Society of Biology. He has published over 100 papers on aspects related to chromosome research and runs a busy research laboratory. Dimitris Ioannou is a final year PhD student in the laboratory of Professor Griffin. He is a graduate of the University of Wales (BSc) and Nottingham (MPhil), and has performed original research work on applications of FISH including QD-FISH.