Tumor‐Targeted Multimodal Optical Imaging with Versatile Cadmium‐Free Quantum Dots |
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| Authors: | Xiangyou Liu Gary B. Braun Haizheng Zhong David J. Hall Wenlong Han Mingde Qin Chuanzhen Zhao Meina Wang Zhi‐Gang She Chuanbao Cao Michael J. Sailor William B. Stallcup Erkki Ruoslahti Kazuki N. Sugahara |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Cancer Research Center, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA;2. Department of Surgery, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA;3. Center for Nanomedicine and Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA;4. Beijing Key Laboratory of Nanophotonics and Ultrafine Optoelectronic Systems, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, P. R. China;5. Moores Cancer Center, Department of Radiology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA;6. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA;7. Research Center of Materials Science, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, P. R. China |
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| Abstract: | The rapid development of fluorescence imaging technologies requires concurrent improvements in the performance of fluorescent probes. Quantum dots have been extensively used as an imaging probe in various research areas because of their inherent advantages based on unique optical and electronic properties. However, their clinical translation has been limited by the potential toxicity especially from cadmium. Here, a versatile bioimaging probe is developed by using highly luminescent cadmium‐free CuInSe2/ZnS core/shell quantum dots conjugated with CGKRK (Cys–Gly–Lys–Arg–Lys) tumor‐targeting peptides. This probe exhibits excellent photostability, reasonably long circulation time, minimal toxicity, and strong tumor‐specific homing property. The most important feature of this probe is that it shows distinctive versatility in tumor‐targeted multimodal imaging including near‐infrared, time‐gated, and two‐photon imaging in different tumor models. In a glioblastoma mouse model, the targeted probe clearly denotes tumor boundaries and positively labels a population of diffusely infiltrating tumor cells, suggesting its utility in precise tumor detection during surgery. This work lays a foundation for potential clinical translation of the probe. |
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| Keywords: | Cd‐free quantum dots near‐infrared time‐gated imaging tumor‐targeted imaging two‐photon |
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