Dual‐channel and Dual‐mode Imaging System for High‐performance Cancer Surgery Using Fluorescence Quantum Yield Enhanced Aggregation‐induced Emission Luminogens

Abstract

Surgical resection of the primary tumor and sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy remain the standard clinical treatment strategies. In vivo fluorescence imaging in the near‐infrared‐II (NIR‐II) window can image at extended depth without tissue autofluorescence, making it a promising imaging strategy for intraoperative navigation. However, the efficacy of NIR‐II imaging‐assisted intraoperative navigation is limited by the fluorescence quantum yield (FQY) of imaging agent and imaging systems. Herein, this study proposes and demonstrates a dual‐channel of NIR‐II/visible (VIS) and dual‐mode of large‐field‐of‐view (FOV)/high‐resolution imaging system along with an efficient post‐regulation strategy to enhance the FQY of NIR‐II imaging agents. The FOV and resolution could reach 91.43 × 73.14 mm and 88.39 µm, respectively. By simply tuning the ratio of inert aggregation‐induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) within binary nanoparticles (BNPs), the FQY of functional NIR‐II AIEgens is enhanced by 2.13 times, which is not achievable by conventional strategies. The enhanced NIR‐II imaging performance enabled the resection of breast tumors and intraoperative identification and dissection of metastatic SLN. The significantly improved FOV and resolution of NIR‐II imaging system opens a new avenue to boost imaging‐guided surgery.