Targeted Near-Infrared Photoacoustic Probes for Dual-Channel Cartilage and Bone Imaging.

Lubna Amer, Andrew Levitz, Maurice Retout, Moumita Halder, Jesse V Jokerst

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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2 · The registry

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Lubna AmerProgram in Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.

Andrew LevitzThermo Fisher Scientific, Oligo & Organic Chemistry Research and Development, Pleasanton, California, USA.

Maurice RetoutAiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.

Moumita HalderAiiso Yufeng Li Family Department of Chemical and Nano Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.

Jesse V JokerstProgram in Materials Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.ORCID 0009-0004-3616-1583

Funding

VEVO 3100 + LAXR-X Acoustic Imaging SystemS10OD032268 · OD · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI JOKERST, JESSE VINCENT · 2022 to 2022

$893k

National Science Foundation DMR-2011924NIH HHS S10 OD032268ODCDC CDC HHS S10 OD032268The authors acknowledge equipment support via NIH S10 OD032268Thermo Fisher Scientific Collaborative Research Contract D20389

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Simultaneous imaging of cartilage and bone with molecular specificity remains a significant unmet need in orthopedic research and intraoperative guidance. Here, we report the development of two tissue-targeted near-infrared photoacoustic probes (Cart-670 for cartilage and Osteo-750 for bone) that enable dual-channel visualization of these adjacent tissues within a single imaging session. The probes were designed through a modular strategy: A systematic screen of NIR-absorbing non-fluorescent dyes identified QSY21 as the optimal photoacoustic scaffold (limit of detection: 0.5 µM in PBS; signal-to-noise ratio ≥ 3), which was then functionalized with a cationic cartilage-targeting motif to yield Cart-670. In parallel, Osteo-750 was synthesized by conjugating a bisphosphonate moiety to Alexa Fluor 750 for bone targeting. Both probes exhibit strong NIR absorption, low detection limits (Cart-670: 1 µM; Osteo-750: 2-3 µM in PBS), and selective ex vivo tissue accumulation: Cart-670 shows preferential retention in cartilage over bone, while Osteo-750 produces ∼200× higher photoacoustic signal on bone relative to cartilage. Spectral unmixing at 680 and 750 nm enables artifact-free two-color imaging without cross talk, demonstrating the feasibility of multiplexed photoacoustic visualization of the cartilage-bone interface.

Indexed as

Bone and BonesCartilageFluorescent DyesPhotoacoustic TechniquesAnimalsInfrared RaysOptical ImagingFluorescent Dyesbonecartilagenear‐infrared probesphotoacoustic imagingspectral unmixing

Identifiers

PMID42313677

DOI10.1002/anie.9645599

PMCPMC13480504

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.