A protease-activated, near-infrared fluorescent probe for early endoscopic detection of premalignant gastrointestinal lesions.

ABSTRACT: Fluorescence imaging is currently being actively developed for surgical guidance; however, it remains underutilized for diagnostic and endoscopic surveillance of incipient colorectal cancer in high-risk patients. Here we demonstrate the utility and potential for clinical translation of a fluorescently labeled cathepsin-activated chemical probe to highlight gastrointestinal lesions. This probe stays optically dark until it is activated by proteases produced by tumor-associated macrophages and accumulates within the lesions, enabling their detection using an endoscope outfitted with a fluorescence detector. We evaluated the probe in multiple murine models and a human-scale porcine model of gastrointestinal carcinogenesis. The probe provides fluorescence-guided surveillance of gastrointestina

SUBMITTER: Yim JJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7817203 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature