A combination of targeted probes and new imaging technologies provides a powerful set of tools with the potential to improve the early detection of cancer. To develop a probe for detecting colon cancer, we screened phage display peptide libraries against fresh human colonic adenomas for high-affinity ligands with preferential binding to premalignant tissue. We identified a specific heptapeptide sequence, VRPMPLQ, which we synthesized, conjugated with fluorescein and tested in patients undergoing colonoscopy. We imaged topically administered peptide using a fluorescence confocal microendoscope delivered through the instrument channel of a standard colonoscope. In vivo images were acquired at 12 frames per second with 50-μm working distance and 2.5-μm (transverse) and 20-μm (axial) resolution. The fluorescein-conjugated peptide bound more strongly to dysplastic colonocytes than to adjacent normal cells with 81% sensitivity and 82% specificity. This methodology represents a promising diagnostic imaging approach for the early detection of colorectal cancer and potentially of other epithelial malignancies. © 2008 Nature Publishing Group.
CITATION STYLE
Hsiung, P. L., Hardy, J., Friedland, S., Soetikno, R., Du, C. B., Wu, A. P., … Wang, T. D. (2008). Detection of colonic dysplasia in vivo using a targeted heptapeptide and confocal microendoscopy. Nature Medicine, 14(4), 454–458. https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1692
Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.