Bioimaging considerations

CNTs and other nano-sized carbon structures are promising materials for bioapplications, which was predicted even previous to their discovery. These nanoparticles have been applied in bioimaging and drag delivery, as implant materials and scaffolds for tissue growth, to modulate neuronal development and for lipid bilayer membranes. Considerable research has been done in the field of biosensors. Novel optical properties of CNTs have made them potential quantum dot sensors, as well as light emitters. Electrical conductance of CNTs has been exploited for field transistor based biosensors. CNTs and other nano-sized carbon structures are considered third generation amperometric biosensors, where direct electron transfer between the enzyme active center and the transducer takes place. Nanoparticle functionalization is required to achieve their full potential in many fields, including bio-applications. 

Zinc (Zn +) is the second most abundant metal ion after iron in the human body, and plays critical roles in regulating gene expression, enzyme regulation, and neurotransmission [90]. Zn + is also known to be responsible for the formation of amyloid plaques during the onset of Alzheimer s disease [91], At present, there is considerable interest in the development of Zn +-selective luminescence chemosensors as bioimaging probes [92, 93],... 

In general, as the newer range of detectors were brought onto the market they were very expensive in comparison to the linear analyzers. However, as competition and technological developments occur the prices are slowly coming down. A further consideration is that in the authors own institute, for example, one Bioimaging Analyser has replaced approximately ten linear analyzers. 

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