Apoferritin-Engineered Nanoprobe for Tumor-Targeted Triple-NIR Imaging and Phototherapy

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Accurate tumor characterization is crucial for effective treatment decisions.
• Near-infrared (NIR) technology offers potential for noninvasive in vivo imaging due to tissue transparency windows.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an engineering apoferritin-conjugated cypate nanoprobe for multimodal NIR imaging and therapy.
• To enable real-time, spatially resolved quantitative chemical imaging of tumors.
• To investigate the potential of the nanoprobe in assisting photothermal tumor ablation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of apoferritin-conjugated cypate nanoprobes for dual NIR fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging.
• Utilizing the nanoprobes for in vivo quantitative chemical imaging of tumors.
• Assessing the therapeutic efficacy of the nanoprobes in photothermal tumor ablation.
• Analyzing tumor metabolomics post-ablation.

Main Results:

• The developed nanoprobes enabled triple NIR imaging, providing real-time, quantitative in situ tumor information.
• The nanoprobes facilitated photothermal treatment planning and efficient tumor photothermal ablation.
• Tumor metabolomics revealed perturbations in glutamine/phenylalanine metabolism and oxidative stress post-ablation.

Conclusions:

• Engineered apoferritin-conjugated cypate nanoprobes serve as a versatile theranostic platform for tumor imaging and therapy.
• This approach offers potential for improved tumor treatment strategies through quantitative imaging and targeted ablation.
• The nanoprobes demonstrate promise for guiding and enhancing photothermal tumor ablation by providing metabolic insights.