Abstract: Carbon quantum dots (CDs) are a new class of small fluorescent carbon nanoparticles with a particle size of less than 10 nm, which have been widely used in the fields of bioimaging, biosensing and disease detection.CDs have the characteristics of small particle size, good biocompatibility, excitation wavelength dependent photoluminescence (PL), photoelectron transfer, chemical inerts and low toxicity, which are very promising materials for nanobiotechnology. CDs doped with metal or heteroatom has the advantages of simple preparation, good biocompatibility and excellent performance, and has great advantages in biochemical, biological and biomedical fields. In this review, the research progress, synthesis methods and applications of metal or heteroatom doped CDs are summarized, and the current challenges and future prospects of metal or heteroatom doped CDs are discussed.