Chromophore probes for optical imaging

• US 20050171434A1
• Filed: 07/09/2004
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: VisEn Medical, Inc. (Revvity, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VisEn Medical, Inc. (Revvity, Inc.)
• Inventors: Madden, Karen N., Poss, Kirtland G.
• Application Number:
  US10/888,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20050171434A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/473
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 49/00 Preparations for testing in vivo
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 49/0032 Methine dyes, e.g. cyanine dyes
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 49/0041 Xanthene dyes, used in vivo, e.g. administered to a mice, e.g. rhodamines, rose Bengal in vivo G01N
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 49/0056 Peptides, proteins, polyamino acids

Abstract

Chromophore probes that are capable of being taken up by, retained by or bound to a biocompatible molecule to form an imaging construct are provided. Various activation strategies of the resulting imaging construct are also provided.

Claims

1. An imaging construct comprising a chromophore probe and a chromophore targeting moiety that allows the chromophore probe to chemically link to the chromophore attachment moiety and to be maintained in a spectral property altering state, so that upon activation of the resulting imaging construct, the optical properties of the chromophore are altered.

2. The imaging construct of claim 1, wherein the imaging construct is activated by:

(a) enzymatic cleavage;

(b) pH mediated cleavage;

(c) phosphorylation;

(d) dephosphorylation;

(e) conformation change;

(f) analyte binding;

(g) chemical modification of the chromophore;

or

(h) receptor binding.

3. The imaging construct of claim 1, wherein the imaging construct is activated by enzymatic cleavage of the chromophore attachment moiety.

4. The imaging construct of claim 1, wherein the chromophores are red to near-infrared fluorochromes with excitation and emission wavelengths in the range of 550 to 1300 nm.

5. The imaging construct of claim 1, wherein the chromophore is covalently linked to the chromophore attachment moiety.

6. The imaging construct of claim 1, wherein the chromophore is non-covalently linked to the chromophore attachment moiety.

7. The imaging construct of claim 1, wherein the chromophore attachment moiety is endogenous.

8. The imaging construct of claim 1, wherein the chromophore attachment moiety is albumin.

9. The imaging construct of claim 1, wherein the chromophore attachment moiety is transferrin.

10. The imaging construct of claim 1, wherein the chromophore attachment moiety is red blood cells

11. The imaging construct of claim 1, wherein the chromophore attachment moiety is lymphocytes.

12. The imaging construct of claim 1, wherein the chromophore attachment moiety is stem cells.

13. A method of in vivo optical imaging, the method comprising:

(a) administering to a subject a chromophore probe with a chromophore targeting moiety;

(b) allowing the chromophore probe to chemically link to the chromophore attachment moiety and be maintained in a spectral property altering state;

(c) allowing time for molecules in the target tissue to activate the resulting imaging construct;

(d) illuminating the target tissue with light of a wavelength absorbable by the chromophore; and

(e) detecting the optical signal emitted by the chromophore.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein steps (a)-(e), respectively, are repeated at predetermined intervals thereby allowing for evaluation of emitted signal of the chromophores in the subject over time.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the signal emitted by chromophores is used to construct an image.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the subject is a mammal.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the subject is a human.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the illuminating and detecting steps are done using an endoscope, catheter, tomographic systems (including diffuse optical tomography), surgical goggles with attached bandpass filters, or intraoperative microscope.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the method is used in detection of a disease.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the method is used in monitoring or dictating a therapeutic course of action for a treatment of a disease.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the disease is selected from the group consisting of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, immunologic diseases, autoimmune diseases, inherited diseases, infectious diseases, bone diseases, and environmental diseases.

14. A method of in vivo optical imaging, the method comprising:

(a) withdrawing a sample of a subject'"'"'s blood;

(b) mixing the subject'"'"'s blood (or any component thereof) with the chromophore probe and allowing the chromophore probe to chemically link to the chromophore attachment moiety and be maintained in a spectral property altering state;

(c) injecting the resulting imaging construct back into the subject;

(d) allowing adequate time for the imaging construct to be activated within the target tissue;

(e) illuminating the target tissue with light of a wavelength absorbable by the chromophores; and

(f) detecting the signal emitted by the chromophores.