A Novel Clinically Translatable
Fluorescent Nanoparticle
for Targeted Molecular Imaging of Tumors in Living Subjects
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Abstract
The use of quantum dots (QDs) in biomedical research
has grown
tremendously, yet successful examples of clinical applications are
absent due to many clinical concerns. Here, we report on a new type
of stable and biocompatible dendron-coated InP/ZnS core/shell QD as
a clinically translatable nanoprobe for molecular imaging applications.
The QDs (QD710-Dendron) were demonstrated to hold several significant
features: near-infrared (NIR) emission, high stability in biological
media, suitable size with possible renal clearance, and ability of
extravasation. More importantly, a pilot mouse toxicity study confirmed
that QD710-Dendron lacks significant toxicity at the doses tested.
The acute tumor uptake of QD710-Dendron resulted in good contrast
from the surrounding nontumorous tissues, indicating the possibility
of passive targeting of the QDs. The highly specific targeting of
QD710-Dendron-RGD<sub>2</sub> to integrin α<sub>v</sub>β<sub>3</sub>-positive tumor cells resulted in high tumor uptake and long
retention of the nanoprobe at tumor sites. In summary, QD710-Dendron
and RGD-modified nanoparticles demonstrate small size, high stability,
biocompatibility, favorable in vivo pharmacokinetics, and successful
tumor imaging properties. These features satisfy the requirements
for clinical translation and should promote efforts to further investigate
the possibility of using QD710-Dendron-based nanoprobes in the clinical
setting in the near future