Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41667902›Full record

ArticleMolecular imaging and biology2026

Enhanced Fluorescence of Near-Infrared Anti-CEA Antibodies for Visualizing Colorectal Cancers Using Modified Heptamethine Cyanines.

K Cox, J Jitender, S Mehta, Dong-Hao Li, S Amirfakhri, R M Hoffman, J Shively, P Yazaki, M J Schnermann, M Bouvet and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular imaging and biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. More Than a Glow: How Cyanine Dyes Shape Tracer Pharmacokinetics.Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

K CoxDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
J JitenderDepartment of Immunology & Theranostics, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA, USA.
S MehtaDepartment of Immunology & Theranostics, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA, USA.
Dong-Hao LiChemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
S AmirfakhriDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
R M HoffmanDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
J ShivelyDepartment of Immunology & Theranostics, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA, USA.
P YazakiDepartment of Immunology & Theranostics, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA, USA.
M J SchnermannChemical Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA.
M BouvetDepartment of Surgery, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
T M LwinDepartment of Immunology & Theranostics, Beckman Research Institute, Duarte, CA, USA. tlwin@coh.org.ORCID 0000-0003-1820-088X

Funding

Molecular Imaging Probe(s) for Optical Surgical Navigation of Pancreatic CancerR01CA256973 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI Surinder K. Batra, Michael Bouvet · 2022 to 2026
$2.2M
BLRD VA I01 BX003856Foundation for the National Institutes of Health 3P30CA033572-42S1Foundation for the National Institutes of Health T32CA121938NCI NIH HHS R01 CA256973
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe clinical success of fluorescence-guided surgery is dependent on tumor-specific probes that can achieve high tumor-to-background contrast. Conventional near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores often alter the pharmacokinetic properties of the parental molecule that result in aggregation, altered biodistribution, and impaired tumor targeting.

methodsThis present study evaluates two charge-balanced heptamethine cyanine dyes, FNIR-Tag-766 and FNIR-Tag-804, conjugated to a humanized anti-carcinoembryonic antigen antibody (M5A). Their performance was compared to the standard M5A-IR800CW conjugate in both subcutaneous and orthotopic colorectal cancer xenograft models in mice. Mean fluorescence intensity (MFI), tumor-to-background ratio (TBR), and ex vivo biodistribution were compared.

resultsThe M5A-FNIR-766 conjugate produced a greater MFI in tumors at all timepoints compared to M5A-IR800CW, resulting in a significantly improved TBR. Ex vivo analysis at 96 h confirmed higher tumor accumulation for M5A-FNIR-766 and revealed a reduction in hepatic signal for both M5A-FNIR-Tag conjugates. The observations were concordant in the clinically relevant orthotopic model.

conclusionAntibody-fluorophore conjugates linked to the charge-modified FNIR-Tag dyes provide improved tumor-specific signals and a more favorable biodistribution profile than the same antibody conjugated to a conventional dye. By achieving superior performance through intrinsic fluorophore design rather than complex bioconjugation strategies, the approach provides a clinically translatable advancement for tumor-specific FGS.

Indexed as

CarbocyaninesCarcinoembryonic AntigenColorectal NeoplasmsAnimalsCell Line, TumorFemaleFluorescenceFluorescent DyesHumansMiceMice, NudeSpectroscopy, Near-InfraredTissue DistributionCarbocyaninesCarcinoembryonic AntigenFluorescent Dyesheptamethine cyanine dyeAnti- carcinoembryonic antigen antibodyFluorescence-guided surgeryHeptamethine cyanine dyesMolecular imagingNear-infrared fluorescent dyes

Identifiers

PMID41667902
PMCPMC13161264

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.