[Highly sensitive intraoperative detection of tiny tumors with novel "activatable" fluorescence probes]

Several versatile and rational design strategies for novel fluorescence probes including those based on photoinduced electron transfer have been successfully established. Indeed, based on these design strategies, various novel fluorescence probes were successfully developed including those for reactive oxygen species and reporter enzymes. Furthermore, we have succeeded to visualize tiny tumors in living mice by using cancer-specific antibodies tagged with acidic-pH activatable fluorescence probes. Here, I will describe the details of probe design as well as some imaging results with living cells and animals by applying our novel fluorescence probes.