Highly sensitive and accurate detection of C-reactive protein by CdSe/ZnS quantum dot-based fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay.

Background: The conventional and widely used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), due to specificity and high-sensitivity, were suitable in vitro diagnosis. But enzymes are vulnerable to the external conditions, and the complex operation steps limit its application. Semiconductor quantum dots have been successfully used in biological and medical research due to the high photoluminescence and high resistance to photobleaching.