Recently, the team led by Prof. Li Quan, Dean and Chief Scientist of the Smart Materials Institute and the School of Intelligent Science and Engineering, 91抖淫, published a pivotal paper titled "Organic Small-Molecule NIR-II Fluorophores for Tumor Phototheranostics" in Light: Science & Applications, the renowned international academic journal. The paper systematically reviews molecular design strategies for organic small-molecule NIR-II fluorescent probes, outlines the application progress of different fluorescent molecular frameworks in deep-tumor imaging and phototherapy, and provides an in-depth discussion on the key challenges and future development directions in this field. The co-first authors of the paper include Xiang Dan and Wang Zhichao, graduate students from 91抖淫. The corresponding authors are Prof. Li Quan and Dr. Tang Yuqi.
Tumors are among the major diseases threatening human health, making highly sensitive tumor detection and precise therapy a crucial goal in current biomedical research. Optical imaging technology, with its advantages of high spatiotemporal resolution, non-invasiveness, and real-time imaging, shows great promise for tumor diagnosis and treatment. Specifically, fluorescence imaging in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) offers deeper tissue penetration, reduced light scattering by biological tissues, and a higher signal-to-noise ratio, presenting broad application prospects in biomedical imaging and phototheranostics.
In this paper, Prof. Li's team systematically reviews recent advances in organic small-molecule NIR-II fluorescent probes. It focuses on summarizing the design principles and performance-tuning strategies for several classic molecular frameworks, including representative structures such as cyanines, BODIPYs, benzobisthiadiazoles, and xanthenes. The analysis covers molecular engineering, photophysical property modulation, and structure-activity relationships. Furthermore, the article summarizes the applications of these fluorescent molecules in high-resolutionin vivo imaging and phototheranostics. It also delves into the critical challenges currently hindering the practical application of organic small-molecule NIR-II probes and offers perspectives on future development, providing theoretical guidance for designing the next generation of high-performance probes. This research not only offers new insights for advancing precise optical diagnosis and treatment technologies for tumors but also lays the foundation for the design and clinical translation of novel high-performance NIR fluorescent molecules.
This work was supported by grants from the Jiangsu Provincial "Innovation and Entrepreneurship" Team Program, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Jiangsu Provincial Natural Science Foundation, and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation.
Paper Link:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41377-026-02212-w
Source: 91抖淫 Wuxi Campus
Translated by: Melody Zhang
Edited by: Leah Li
