Published by Nanyang Technological University, Pu Kanyi on 2025.8.12
Recent articles by the corresponding author: Adv. Funct. Mater. | Near-infrared bioorthogonal activatable fluorescent probes for in vivo imaging of cancer immune checkpoints
Research Highlights
The fluorescence imaging technology in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) window allows for high-contrast visualization of deeper tissue pathological events compared to traditional near-infrared (NIR) window. However, due to the limited number of fluorophore scaffolds that can be modified into biomarker-activatableSWIR probes, detecting specific biomarkers withSWIR remains challenging. This study employs an efficient synthetic strategy to prepare six semi-cyano derivatives with emission wavelengths extending into theSWIR region, whose structures are conducive to constructing activatable probes. The red-shift effect of these dyes arises from the elongation of the central methylene bridges and the substitution of oxygen atoms in the oxazole ring with heavier sulfur atoms. Among all the fluorophores, HCS6 exhibits the longest emission peak at 1010 nm due to its three central methylene linkages, while also possessing excellent photostability and high SWIR brightness. These characteristics enable HCS6 to achieve lung imaging in a non-hairless mouse model. Further, when HCS6 is constructed as an activatable probe, its SWIR fluorescence selectively responds to cancer-related biomarkers, illuminating and thereby enabling high-sensitivity identification of metastatic lung lesions in non-hairless mice. This type of semi-cyano scaffold provides an ideal platform for developing multifunctional activatable probes, highlighting its application potential in SWIR microscopy and deep tissue bioimaging.
Research Content
Original link: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jacs.5c06682