Aptamer-anchored rubrene-loaded organic nanoprobes for cancer cell targeting and imaging

Abstract

Fluorescence imaging has become an indispensable technique in cancer research because it can reveal informative molecular, cellular, anatomical, and functional insights. Development of advanced fluorescent probes with superior sensitivity and biological selectivity for fluorescence imaging is thus imperative. To move forward in this direction, we developed an easy self-assembly method for fabricating aptamer- anchored rubrene-loaded organic fluorescent nanoprobes. The aptamer-modified organic nanoprobes integrated the best features of the organic light-emitting materials and the aptamers, thus endowing them with excellent cell-targeting capability, high stability, and good biocompatibility. By using this general method, a variety of biocompatible and highly bright organic fluorescent nanoprobes based on novel organic light-emitting materials with specific recognition could be easily constructed for real-time biosensing and long-term biomedical imaging.