Optical Monitoring of Single Cells Using Quantum Dots

Quantum dots (QDs) can be used to label live cells for long-term tracking experiments. The stability of the QDs ensures low toxicity and long-term imaging capability. The multicolor capabilities of QDs allows the simultaneous monitoring of complex cellular populations, allowing more information-rich experiments to be performed. This chapter discusses the ways in which one can label cells with QDs, and a number of ways to characterize the impact that the labeling has on the cellular populations.