Development of a Novel FAST Cathepsin-Activatable NIR Agent for Tumor Imaging

In this application poster, PerkinElmer develop a novel pan-cathepsin agent with the capability of fast activation kinetics and the potential for early imaging time points in monitoring tumor progression in vivo. The pan cathepsin agent is compared it to an established and well characterized pan-cathepsin activatable imaging agent (ProSense®750, a high molecular weight, PEG-decorated NIR-labeled polylysine), which has a long circulation half-life of approximately 20h and offers a long and stable imaging window from 24 to 48h post-injection. To compare selectivity profiles, the agents were assessed for activation by a variety of proteases, including cathepsins and matrix metalloproteases (MMPs).