Patent ID: 8889414

Claim:
A method for phagokinetic tracking, comprising: providing a culture surface for supporting biological activity of living cells; depositing semiconductor nanocrystals on the culture surface, thereby resulting in deposited semiconductor nanocrystals; noting the starting positions of the deposited semiconductor nanocrystals on the culture surface; seeding the cells onto the culture surface; allowing the seeded cells to move and take up the deposited semiconductor nanocrystals; and detecting a phagokinetic track of the cells by observing changes in the positions of the deposited semiconductor nanocrystals after sufficient time has elapsed to allow the seeded cells to move and take up the deposited semiconductor nanocrystals, wherein the changes in the positions of the deposited semiconductor nanocrystals indicate the phagokinetic track of the cell and wherein the detection of a phagokinetic track of the cells indicates the cells having the properties of motility, migration, movement and/or metastatic potential.