Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2025
Computed Tomography-guided Time-domain Diffuse Fluorescence Tomography in Small Animals for Localization of Cancer Biomarkers
Published on: July 17, 2012
Activatable fluorescent probes for real-time imaging-guided tumor therapy
Qi-Jia Duan1, Zhong-Yi Zhao1, Yao-Jun Zhang2
1School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Abstract:
Surgery and drug therapy are the two principal options for cancer treatment. However, their clinical benefits are hindered by the difficulty of accurate location of the tumors and timely monitoring of the treatment efficacy of drugs, respectively. Rapid development of imaging techniques provides promising tools to address these challenges. Compared with conventional imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography etc., fluorescence imaging exhibits high spatial resolution, real-time imaging capability, and relatively low costs devices. The advancements in fluorescent probes further accelerate the implementation of fluorescence imaging in tumor diagnosis and treatment monitoring. In particular, the emergence of site-specifically activatable fluorescent probes fits the demands of tumor delineation and real-time feedback of the treatment efficacy. A variety of small molecule probes or nanoparticle-based probes have been developed and explored for the above-mentioned applications. This review will discuss recent advances in fluorescent probes with a special focus on activatable nanoprobes and highlight the potential implementation of activatable nanoprobes in fluorescence imaging-guided surgery as well as imaging-guided drug therapy.
Insights
Activatable fluorescent nanoprobes offer advanced tumor imaging for better surgical guidance and drug therapy monitoring. These probes improve cancer treatment accuracy and real-time efficacy assessment.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Medical Imaging
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Cancer treatment relies on surgery and drugs, but accurate tumor localization and treatment monitoring remain challenging.
- Conventional imaging techniques have limitations in spatial resolution and real-time feedback for cancer care.
- Fluorescence imaging offers high resolution, real-time capabilities, and cost-effectiveness for tumor diagnosis and treatment evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in activatable fluorescent probes for cancer diagnosis and therapy.
- To highlight the potential of activatable nanoprobes in fluorescence imaging-guided surgery.
- To discuss the application of activatable nanoprobes in imaging-guided drug therapy.
Main Methods:
- Review of recent literature on fluorescent probes, focusing on site-specifically activatable probes.
- Analysis of small molecule probes and nanoparticle-based probes for tumor imaging.
- Exploration of activatable nanoprobes for surgical guidance and drug therapy monitoring.
Main Results:
- Site-specifically activatable fluorescent probes enable precise tumor delineation.
- Activatable nanoprobes provide real-time feedback on drug therapy efficacy.
- These probes enhance the capabilities of fluorescence imaging in oncology.
Conclusions:
- Activatable fluorescent nanoprobes are crucial for advancing fluorescence imaging in oncology.
- They show significant potential for improving fluorescence imaging-guided surgery and drug therapy.
- Further development of these nanoprobes can revolutionize cancer treatment strategies.
