Engineering Quantum Dots from Fundamental Properties to Practical Diagnostics by Professor Jessica O. Winter

NTU MSE Seminar Hosted by Professor Ng Kee Woei

Abstract

Quantum dots (QDs), semiconductor nanoparticles that fluoresce upon light excitation, were introduced for biological imaging in 1998 and heralded as a technology that would transform biomedical imaging. Yet, more than 25 years later, there are still no clinically approved QD products. This gap between scientific promise and practical implementation illustrates a broader challenge in nanotechnology: developing a material with exceptional properties is only the first step toward creating a useful technology.

In this presentation, I will discuss our efforts to identify and overcome barriers limiting the translation of QDs for clinical diagnostics. Conventional approaches for rendering QDs water soluble can compromise their fluorescence and colloidal stability, particularly under the demanding conditions required for bioconjugation and biological applications. We developed polymer micelle encapsulation strategies that preserve QD optical properties while enabling their use as bright fluorescent labels. Through comparison of multiple manufacturing approaches, we further demonstrated that nanoparticle formation kinetics and exposure to the aqueous environment strongly influence QD stability, providing design principles for scalable production. These efforts ultimately led to the development of QD reagents for flow cytometry and the commercialization of the technology.

Using this journey from fundamental materials development through scale-up and company formation, I will highlight lessons learned about the often-overlooked challenges that emerge when translating nanomaterials from promising laboratory demonstrations toward practical technologies.

Biography

Jessica O. Winter
Distinguished Professor of Engineering
The Ohio State University

Jessica Winter is a Distinguished Professor of Engineering in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at The Ohio State University. She serves on the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Board of Directors and is Editor in Chief of the RSC journals Journal of Materials Chemistry B and Materials Advances. She received her PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and completed postdoctoral training at the Boston VA Hospital. Her research focuses on nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing, including nanoparticles for cancer diagnostics and drug delivery, dynamic DNA-nanoparticle materials, and biomimetic tumor models. She is co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Core Quantum Technologies, which develops nanoparticle reagents for cancer diagnostics. Winter is a Fellow of AIChE, BMES, AAAS, AIMBE, and the RSC and a Senior Member of IEEE. Her honors include the 2024 AIChE Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum Award, APS Five Sigma Award, and ACS Rising Star Award. She was named TechColumbus Innovator of the Year, Columbus Business First 40 under 40 and 20 People to Know in Technology. She has twice presented on science and research to U.S. Congressional audiences, including the House R&D and Senate Competitiveness Caucuses.