AND-gate contrast agents for enhanced fluorescence-guided surgery.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Optical Imaging
• Surgical Oncology

Background:

• Precise surgical resection of tumors is challenging due to irregular tumor margins.
• Current optical contrast agents for real-time tumor margin delineation have limited specificity, as targets are often present in healthy tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate novel AND-gate optical imaging probes for enhanced specificity and sensitivity in identifying tumor margins during surgery.

Main Methods:

• Designed AND-gate optical imaging probes activated by two substrates processed by multiple tumor-specific enzymes.
• Evaluated probe performance in mouse models of mammary tumors and metastatic lung cancer.
• Assessed probe utility in fluorescence-guided robotic surgery.

Main Results:

• AND-gate probes demonstrated significantly improved specificity and sensitivity to tumor tissue compared to conventional agents.
• Multivariate activation strategy enabled selective fluorescent signal generation based on complex enzymatic patterns.
• Successful application in preclinical tumor models and robotic surgery settings.

Conclusions:

• AND-gate optical imaging probes offer a promising approach for accurate tumor margin definition.
• Multivariate activation strategies enhance disease detection, treatment, and monitoring capabilities.
• These advanced probes have potential applications in various oncological interventions.