An urgent need for sensitive and specific tools to accurately image early stage, organ-con-fined human prostate cancers to facilitate active surveillance and reduce unnecessary treatment has resulted in the development of an acoustic lens that enhances the sensitivity of photoacoustic imaging. This device is used in conjunction with two molecular imaging agents that specifically target the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) expressed on the tumor cell surface of most prostate cancers.
The imaging of phantoms containing cancer cells is performed by labeling with either of two different PSMA-targeting agents, the ribonucleic acid aptamer A10-3.2 and a urea-based peptidomimetic inhibitor, each linked to the near-infrared dye IRDye800CW. By specifically targeting cells with these agents linked to a dye chosen for optimal signal, prostate cancer cells expressing PSMA can be…
