Semiconductor particles aid biomolecular detection.

HAYWARD, CA -- Quantum Dot Corporation (QDC) has developed a process the company says can change the size or composition of nanocrystals to achieve detection up to a thousand times brighter than conventional dyes used in many biological tests. Company officials hope to use these nanoscale particles in a broad range of qualitative, quantitative and multiplexed detection applications in drug discovery, life science research, and medical diagnostics.

"We're commercializing biomolecular detection with quantum dots", explains Andy Watson, vice president, business development of QDC. "Qdot nanocrystals, composed of semiconductor materials, emit light by optical pumping. By …