An Octopus probe for high-performance >1,300 nm NIR-II fluorescence molecular imaging of cancer
Abstract
In surgical oncology, precise intraoperative delineation of malignant tumors for complete yet non-excessive resection has been challenging. Near-infrared II (NIR-II, 1,000 to 3,000 nm) imaging enables deep-tissue, high-contrast visualization, but clinical translation is limited by the lack of robust probes. Cytalux, the first clinically approved NIR-I (700 to 1,000 nm) probe for folate receptor (FR)-positive cancers, is limited in shallow imaging depth and low tumor to normal tissue contrast. Here, we present “Octopus” (OCTP), a modular multi-arm PEG-based NIR-II probe targeting FR capable of rapid and sustained tumor accumulation upon systemic administration to afford superior tumor-to-background ratios and precise margin visualization by NIR-II imaging, significantly outperforming Cytalux in mouse models. Importantly, we uncovered that NIR-II imaging in the >1,300 nm emission range under NIR-I excitation completely suppressed tissue autofluorescence, allowing unambiguous molecular imaging of residual cancerous cells at tumor margins for resection. Pharmacokinetic and toxicity studies demonstrate rapid clearance, minimal off-target accumulation, and excellent biocompatibility. OCTP enables accurate, background-free >1,300 nm fluorescence-guided tumor surgery, promising as the next-generation NIR-II molecular imaging of cancer.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (16)
Zhennan Peng
Department of Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering and School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
Haoran Liu
Marine Biogeochemistry Division, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research
Huaxi Wang
Department of Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering and School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
Runying Long
Material Innovation Institute for Life Sciences and Energy, The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation
Qin Yang
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Zigang Lu
Department of Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering and School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
Wenjun Xu
Department of Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering and School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
Zhiwei Yin
Department of Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering and School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
Liming Zhang
Feiran Zhang
Department of Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering and School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
Xiaodong Tian
Department of Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering and School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
Xianglin Ji
Department of Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering and School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
Zijian Jiang
Department of Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering and School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
Yi Chen
Haonan Lu
Material Innovation Institute for Life Sciences and Energy, The University of Hong Kong Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation
Hongjie Dai
The University of Hong Kong-SIRI , , ,