Abstract
Medicinal applications of luminescent semiconductor quantum dots and nanoparticles are of growing interest. Their fabrication and imaging applications have been extensively investigated for the last decade. However, very little is documented on therapeutic function of quantum dots and nanoparticles. Such potential use has been recently shown: Generation of singlet oxygen and other radical species upon exposure of quantum dots to therapeutic red light and ionizing radiation. Furthermore, quantum dots scintillating under ionizing radiation can combine simultaneously two effective treatments, radiotherapy and photodynamic therapy, to enhance effect of tumour destruction and reduce radiation damage