Storable near-infrared chemilumilescent probes for in vivo optical imaging

A new class of chemiluminescent and fluorescent dyes and dye-doped nanoparticles can be stored at zero degrees and then made to emit near-infrared light by warming to body temperature (no chemical or electrical stimulus is needed). In vivo chemiluminescence imaging permits identification of target sites that are five times deeper than planar fluorescence imaging. A new imaging paradigm employs the dual modality probes first in high contrast chemiluminescence mode to locate relatively deep anatomical locations in vivo and subsequently in fluorescent mode to identify the microscopic targets within thin histopathology sections taken from the same specimen.