The development of technologies capable of early tumor detection is unquestionably demanded by physicians, as early diagnosis is key to achieve more efficient and less invasive treatments with improved outcomes. At the preclinical level, nanotechnology has already provided innovative solutions for tumor imaging and therapy, but it has failed to provide real early tumor diagnosis. In this work, an infrared nanothermometry-based approach toward early melanoma detection, based on the changes produced in the thermal relaxation dynamics of tissues as the tumor develops, is introduced. In vivo experiments demonstrate that detection of incipient tumors from their very onset is possible through monitoring changes in their thermal relaxation dynamics using Ag 2 S infrared luminescent nanothermometers. For a total tumor development time of 14 days, luminescence nanothermometry allows tumor detection 6 days before its presence is evident by visual inspection. Simultaneous study of the tumoral vasculature reveals that the premature variation in the thermal relaxation dynamics is a consequence of the interplay between tumor angiogenesis and necrosis during the different tumor development stages.
Fast and precise localization of ischemic tissues in the myocardium after an acute infarct is required by clinicians as the first step toward accurate and efficient treatment. Nowadays, diagnosis of a heart attack at early times is based on biochemical blood analysis (detection of cardiac enzymes) or by ultrasound‐assisted imaging. Alternative approaches are investigated to overcome the limitations of these classical techniques (time‐consuming procedures or low spatial resolution). As occurs in many other fields of biomedicine, cardiological preclinical imaging can also benefit from the fast development of nanotechnology. Indeed, bio‐functionalized near‐infrared‐emitting nanoparticles are herein used for in vivo imaging of the heart after an acute myocardial infarct. Taking advantage of the superior acquisition speed of near‐infrared fluorescence imaging, and of the efficient selective targeting of the near‐infrared‐emitting nanoparticles, in vivo images of the infarcted heart are obtained only a few minutes after the acute infarction event. This work opens an avenue toward cost‐effective, fast, and accurate in vivo imaging of the ischemic myocardium after an acute infarct.
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