In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Targeted Fluorescent Imaging Agents for Diagnosis and Resection of Cancer.

Local re-occurrence of cancer in patients with solid tumors is currently the most common reason for failure of treatment strategies. This fact indicates that prevailing approaches for tumor resection can cure only 50% of patients. A major cause of failure in tumor resection is off-target drug cytotoxicity and lack of sensitivity in tumor detection methods.

Agarose Micro-Well Platform for Rapid Generation of Homogenous 3D Tumor Spheroids.

In recent years, 3D culture of tumor spheroids has managed to revolutionize cancer research and drug discovery. 2D monolayer cells grown in cell culture flasks undergo radical changes in cell behavior, structure, and function owing to varying environmental cues and are unable to provide predictive data for preclinical evaluation. 3D tumor spheroids can better recapitulate tumor architecture, cell-cell and cell-matrix connectivity, and the tissue complexity of tumors grown in animal models.

Synthesis of 1-indolyl-3,5,8-substituted γ-carbolines: one-pot solvent-free protocol and biological evaluation.

1,5Disubstituted indole-2-carboxaldehyde derivatives - and glycine alkyl esters - are shown to undergo a novel cascade imination-heterocylization in the presence of the organic base DIPEA to provide 1-indolyl-3,5,8-substituted γ-carbolines - in good yields. The γ-carbolines are fluorescent and exhibit anticancer activities against cervical, lung, breast, skin, and kidney cancer cells.

A targeted near-infrared nanoprobe for deep-tissue penetration and imaging of prostate cancer.

The current challenge in fluorescence guided surgery (FGS) for prostate cancer (PCa) is in the design of imaging probes with high selectivity, clear visualization of tumour margins, and minimal toxicity. This report aims to design and develop a novel NIR-nanoprobe, and evaluate its potential in the penetration of PCa tumour tissues. The PSMA receptor-targeted quantum dot (PSMA-QD655) is a NIR, deep-tissue imaging agent, which has the potential for intraoperative navigation during surgery and improved detection specificity for PCa.