A prostate-specific membrane antigen activated molecular rotor for real-time fluorescence imaging

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Molecular Imaging
• Oncology

Background:

• Surgery is effective for localized prostate cancer (PCa), but intraoperative tumor boundary demarcation is difficult.
• Current real-time tumor detection methods are limited, hindering accurate surgical guidance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel fluorescent molecular rotor for real-time, intraoperative detection of prostate cancer.
• To target the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), a key marker for PCa.

Main Methods:

• A fluorescent molecular rotor probe was designed to specifically bind to PSMA.
• The probe's affinity and signal generation kinetics were characterized.
• In vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo experiments were conducted using PCa cell lines, clinical samples, and a xenograft model.

Main Results:

• The developed probes exhibit high affinity (picomolar range) for PSMA.
• The probes generate an instantaneous fluorescent signal proportional to PSMA concentration.
• Experiments demonstrated the probe's utility for real-time endocytosis monitoring, tumor staging, and in vivo imaging.

Conclusions:

• The novel fluorescent molecular rotor probe enables precise, real-time visualization of prostate cancer during surgery.
• This technology has significant potential for improving surgical accuracy and patient outcomes in prostate cancer treatment.