Tumor-Homing Biomimetic Near-Infrared II SERS Probes for Targeted Intraoperative Resection Guidance of Orthotopic...

In vivo optical imaging holds great potential for surgical guidance with the ability to intraoperatively identify tumor lesions in a surgical bed and navigate their surgical excision in real time. Nevertheless, its full potential remains underexploited, mainly due to the dearth of high-performance optical probes. Herein, hybrid cell membrane-biomimetic near-infrared II surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (NIR-II SERS) probes are reported for intraoperative resection guidance of orthotopic glioblastoma. A novel class of plasmonic Au nanorod (AuNR)@Au-Ag frames is developed with remarkable plasmonic properties tunable beyond 1700 nm. We demonstrate the exceptional NIR-II SERS performance both in vitro and in vivo of the biomimetic NIR-II SERS probes created with AuNR@Au-Ag frames and hybrid cell membranes. The biomimetic NIR-II SERS probes are successfully applied in an orthotopic glioblastoma mouse model for intraoperative resection guidance with complete tumor removal and improved surgical outcomes. This study presents a promising strategy for precise NIR-II SERS surgical navigation.