The recurrence of malignant tumors is mostly caused by incompleted surgical resection. Especially, it is difficult for surgeons to detect and accurately remove metastatic tumors by predominantly using visual examination and palpation owing to the lack of effective means to specifically distinguish the boundary range between normal and tumor tissues. Thus, the development of activated fluorescent probe with superior tumor-to-normal (T/N) tissue ratios is particularly urgent in clinics. In view of CD13/aminopeptidase N (APN) regarded as a cancer-specific biomarker, mediating with progression, invasion, and migration of malignant tumor, herein, we reported an APN-responsive fluorescent probe YH-APN and demonstrated its application to distinguish cancer cells. Through in situ spraying manner, fluorescent superior tumor-to-normal (T/N) tissue ratios (subcutaneous transplantation tumor, 13.86; hepatic metastasis, 4.42 and 6.25; splenic metastasis, 4.99) were achieved. More importantly, we have demonstrated the ability to image metastasis tumor tissue less than 1 mm in diameter, highlighting the potential for this probe to be used as a tool in surgical resection. This research may spur the use of enzyme-activatable fluorescent probes for the progress of tumor diagnosis and image-guided surgery (IGS).

DLUT) under the supervision of Prof. Xiaojun Peng in 2019. Currently,h eisworking as apostdoctoral fellow in the group of Prof. Juyoung Yoon at Ewha Womans University (EWHA). His research interest is focused on activatable fluorescent probes and photodynamic therapy.

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Monitoring fluctuations in enzyme overexpression facilitates early tumor detection and excision. An AIEgen probe (DQM‐ALP) for the imaging of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was synthesized. The probe consists of a quinoline‐malononitrile (QM) core decorated with hydrophilic phosphate groups as ALP‐recognition units. The rapid liberation of DQM‐OH aggregates in the presence of ALP resulted in aggregation‐induced fluorescence. The up‐regulation of ALP expression in tumor cells was imaged using DQM‐ALP. The probe permeated into 3D cervical and liver tumor spheroids for imaging spatially heterogeneous ALP activity with high spatial resolution on a two‐photon microscopy platform, providing the fluorescence‐guided recognition of sub‐millimeter tumorigenesis. DQM‐ALP enabled differentiation between tumor and normal tissue ex vivo and in vivo, suggesting that the probe may serve as a powerful tool to assist surgeons during tumor resection.

Haidong Li obtained his Ph.D. from Dalian University of Technology (DLUT) under the supervision of Prof. Xiaojun Peng in 2019. Currently,h eisworking as apostdoctoral fellow in the group of Prof. Juyoung Yoon at Ewha Womans University (EWHA). His research interest is focused on activatable fluorescent probes and photodynamic therapy.