HAYWARD, Calif., Sept. 29 --Quantum Dot Corp. (QDC) announced it was awarded a $2 million grant from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), under its Advanced Technology Program, to develop clinical-grade quantum dots with initial applications in ocular and cancer imaging. Quantum dots are nanoscale crystals of semiconductors that behave as single "super atoms." QDC said the project will be the first step in developing human clinical imaging products that are enabled by the unique optical properties of quantum dot nanocrystals. "These next-generation quantum dots will allow, for the first time, direct imaging of small numbers of dying cells in degenerative eye diseases, and reduce the time frame for testing ocular drugs from 10 years to less than one," said QDC scientist Joe Treadway, PhD, principal investigator for the grant. "These new materials also will greatly enhance imaging during surgical removal of lymph nodes associated with cancerous tumors, thereby improving the prognosis for cancer patients and saving lives while simultaneously reducing the cost and training required for the procedures." QDC's award is one of 32 NIST Advanced Technology Program awards in 2004s. Manufacturing scale-up technology will also be developed, enabling additional spinoff benefits in a variety of consumer products, such as bright, low-power electronic displays and bright white light-emitting diodes. For more information, visit: www.nist.gov/public_affairs/releases/atpaward09-04.htm