Aptamer-based NIR II imaging for breast cancer surgical resection
Abstract The accuracy of intraoperative tumor margin assessment is the main challenge in breast conserving surgery (BCS). NIR-II fluorescence-guided surgery enables surgeons to visualize the tumor margins dynamically in real time and facilitate the precision of tumor resection. We develop an aptamer...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | npj Imaging |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44303-025-00095-x |
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| _version_ | 1849226011333361664 |
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| author | Lei Niu Kang-Liang Lou Zhi Zhu Wei-Zhi Liu Wen-Liang Gao Gu-Yue Hu Jun-Xue Gao Guo-Jun Zhang Wen-He Huang |
| author_facet | Lei Niu Kang-Liang Lou Zhi Zhu Wei-Zhi Liu Wen-Liang Gao Gu-Yue Hu Jun-Xue Gao Guo-Jun Zhang Wen-He Huang |
| author_sort | Lei Niu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The accuracy of intraoperative tumor margin assessment is the main challenge in breast conserving surgery (BCS). NIR-II fluorescence-guided surgery enables surgeons to visualize the tumor margins dynamically in real time and facilitate the precision of tumor resection. We develop an aptamer-conjugated NIR-II probe for intraoperative fluorescence imaging. Peglated indocyanine green (PEG-ICG) was conjugated with an aptamer SYL3C binding to EpCAM to synthesize the probe SYL3C-ICG. Human breast cancer cell lines with different expression levels of EpCAM were employed to assess its tumor-targeting capability. Tumor xenograft models were established to investigate the in vivo selectivity of SYL3C-ICG, and a segmental excision procedure was employed to evaluate the efficacy of the probe in navigating precise surgical resection under NIR-II imaging. In vitro and in vivo fluorescence imaging revealed that NIR-II provides superior imaging resolution and penetration depth compared to NIR-I, and SYL3C-ICG could selectively accumulate at the tumor site, which helps surgeons detect tiny residual malignant lesions invisible to the naked eye and reduce the postoperative recurrence rate. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b4b17d3e01bd49779611b907dc1be6fc |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2948-197X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Imaging |
| spelling | doaj-art-b4b17d3e01bd49779611b907dc1be6fc2025-08-24T11:45:44ZengNature Portfolionpj Imaging2948-197X2025-08-013111010.1038/s44303-025-00095-xAptamer-based NIR II imaging for breast cancer surgical resectionLei Niu0Kang-Liang Lou1Zhi Zhu2Wei-Zhi Liu3Wen-Liang Gao4Gu-Yue Hu5Jun-Xue Gao6Guo-Jun Zhang7Wen-He Huang8Cancer Center and Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen UniversityCancer Center and Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen UniversityKey Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian ProvinceKey Laboratory for Chemical Biology of Fujian ProvinceCancer Center and Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen UniversityDepartment of Ultrasound, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen UniversityDepartment of Ultrasound, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen UniversityCancer Center and Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen UniversityCancer Center and Department of Breast and Thyroid Surgery, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen UniversityAbstract The accuracy of intraoperative tumor margin assessment is the main challenge in breast conserving surgery (BCS). NIR-II fluorescence-guided surgery enables surgeons to visualize the tumor margins dynamically in real time and facilitate the precision of tumor resection. We develop an aptamer-conjugated NIR-II probe for intraoperative fluorescence imaging. Peglated indocyanine green (PEG-ICG) was conjugated with an aptamer SYL3C binding to EpCAM to synthesize the probe SYL3C-ICG. Human breast cancer cell lines with different expression levels of EpCAM were employed to assess its tumor-targeting capability. Tumor xenograft models were established to investigate the in vivo selectivity of SYL3C-ICG, and a segmental excision procedure was employed to evaluate the efficacy of the probe in navigating precise surgical resection under NIR-II imaging. In vitro and in vivo fluorescence imaging revealed that NIR-II provides superior imaging resolution and penetration depth compared to NIR-I, and SYL3C-ICG could selectively accumulate at the tumor site, which helps surgeons detect tiny residual malignant lesions invisible to the naked eye and reduce the postoperative recurrence rate.https://doi.org/10.1038/s44303-025-00095-x |
| spellingShingle | Lei Niu Kang-Liang Lou Zhi Zhu Wei-Zhi Liu Wen-Liang Gao Gu-Yue Hu Jun-Xue Gao Guo-Jun Zhang Wen-He Huang Aptamer-based NIR II imaging for breast cancer surgical resection npj Imaging |
| title | Aptamer-based NIR II imaging for breast cancer surgical resection |
| title_full | Aptamer-based NIR II imaging for breast cancer surgical resection |
| title_fullStr | Aptamer-based NIR II imaging for breast cancer surgical resection |
| title_full_unstemmed | Aptamer-based NIR II imaging for breast cancer surgical resection |
| title_short | Aptamer-based NIR II imaging for breast cancer surgical resection |
| title_sort | aptamer based nir ii imaging for breast cancer surgical resection |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s44303-025-00095-x |
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