Strategies for selectively imaging and delivering drugs to tumours typically leverage differentially upregulated surface molecules on cancer cells. Here, we show that intravenously injected carbon quantum dots, functionalized with multiple paired α-carboxyl and amino groups that bind to the large neutral amino acid transporter 1 (which is expressed in most tumours), selectively accumulate in human tumour xenografts in mice and in an orthotopic mouse model of human glioma. The functionalized quantum dots, which structurally mimic large amino acids and can be loaded with aromatic drugs through π-π stacking interactions, enabled-in the absence of detectable toxicity-near-infrared fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging of the tumours and a reduction in tumour burden after the targeted delivery of chemotherapeutics to the tumours. The versatility of functionalization and high tumour selectivity of the quantum dots make them broadly suitable for tumour-specific imaging and drug delivery.

中文翻译：

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通过结构上模仿大氨基酸的碳量子点对小鼠进行靶向肿瘤治疗。

选择性成像和向肿瘤递送药物的策略通常利用癌细胞上差异上调的表面分子。在这里，我们展示了静脉注射的碳量子点，通过与大中性氨基酸转运蛋白 1（在大多数肿瘤中表达）结合的多对 α-羧基和氨基官能团，选择性地积聚在小鼠的人类肿瘤异种移植物中和人类胶质瘤的原位小鼠模型。功能化的量子点在结构上模拟大氨基酸，并且可以通过 π-π 堆积相互作用装载芳香族药物，在没有可检测到的毒性的情况下，对肿瘤进行近红外荧光和光声成像，并减少肿瘤负担在将化疗药物靶向递送至肿瘤后。