Molecular specific contrast agents to enhance optical imaging of precancers

In this paper, we bring together the advances of in vivo optical imaging and modern nano-chemistry to permit optical imaging with molecular specificity. We present optically interrogated contrast agents based on metal nanocrystals attached to probe molecules with a high affinity to a specific biomarker on the surface of epithelial cancer cells. We demonstrated that unique optical properties of metal nanoparticles can be used to develop novel optically-interrogatable contrast agents for confocal reflectance imaging of pre-cancers.