Publications: Tumor Imaging with IRDye 800CW RGD (Integrin)


Figure 1. Nude mouse bearing subcutaneous tumors, U87 (left hip) and A431(right hip), were imaged 24 hours post intravenous injection of IRDye 800CW RGD (1 nmole).

Integrins are heterodimeric cell surface glycoproteins involved in cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interactions involved in cancer cell invasion and metastatsis. The recognition motif, a tripeptide sequence RGD (Arg-Gly-Asp) binds integrin receptors including avB3. Labeled RGD peptide has been employed to monitor cells in which the avB3 receptor is over-expressed. Several groups have labeled RGD with fluorescent dyes for in vitro and in vivo imaging.

Images of nude mice bearing two subcutaneously implanted tumors on the hips illustrate IRDye 800CW RGD localized to tumor tissue (Figure 1). A dose of unlabeled RGD (given intravenously via the tail vein) prior to IRDye 800CW RGD gave reduced signal in both tumors confirming specificity.

1 Jin ,H. and Varner, V, Br J Cancer (2004) 90: 561

2 Z. H. Jin, et al., Mol Cancer (2007) 6: 41.

3 J. L. Kovar, et al., Anal Biochem (2007) 367:1-12.

4 Kovar, J et al. Poster presentation, AACR Annual Meeting (2009)