Zheng G, Chen J, Stefflova K, Jarvi M, Li H & Wilson BC Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2007 Molecular beacons are FRET-based target-activatable probes. They offer control of fluorescence emission in response to specific cancer targets, thus are useful tools for in vivo cancer imaging. Photodynamic therapyContinue Reading
Stefflova K, Li H, Chen J & Zheng G Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2007 We designed and synthesized a folate receptor-targeted, water-soluble, and pharmacomodulated photodynamic therapy (PDT) agent that selectively detects and destroys the targeted cancer cells while sparing normal tissue. This was achieved by minimizing the normal organ uptake (e.g., liverContinue Reading
Stefflova K, Chen J & Zheng G Current Medicinal Chemistry, 2007 Precisely localizing therapeutic agents in neoplastic areas would greatly improve their efficacy for killing tumor cells and reduce their toxicity to normal cells. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising cancer treatment modality, and near-infrared fluorescence imaging (NIRF-I) is aContinue Reading
Stefflova K, Chen J Li H & Zheng G Molecular Imaging, 2006 Imaging apoptotic cells or tissues after cancer therapy in situ would be a very useful tool for assessing proper treatment conditions and therapeutic outcome. By combining therapeutic and imaging functions, we have designed a multifunctional, membrane-permeable, and cancer-specificContinue Reading
Corbin IR, Li H, Chen J, Lund-Katz S, Zhou R, Glickson JD & Zheng G Neoplasia, 2006 Low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) are a naturally occurring endogenous nanoplatform in mammalian systems. These nanoparticles (22 nm) specifically transport cholesterol to cells expressing the LDL receptor (LDLR). Several tumors overexpress LDLRs presumably to provideContinue Reading
Stefflova K, Chen J, Li H & Zheng G Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2006 Identifying the extent of apoptosis in cells or tissues after cancer therapy in real time would be a powerful firsthand tool for assessing therapeutic outcome. We combined therapeutic and imaging functions in one agent, choosing photodynamicContinue Reading
Zheng G, Chen J, Li H & Glickson, JD Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2005 We report that a lipoprotein-based nanoplatform generated by conjugating tumor-homing molecules to the protein components of naturally occurring lipoproteins reroutes them from their normal lipoprotein receptors to other selected cancer-associated receptors. Multiple copiesContinue Reading
Li H, Marotta DE, Kim S, Busch TM, Wileyto EP & Zheng G Journal of Biomedical Optics, 2005 To improve the labeling efficiency of a low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-based photosensitizer (PS) for achieving high probe to protein payload, a tetra-tt-butyl silicon phthalocyanine bearing two oleate moieties at its axial positions, SiPcBOA,Continue Reading
Wu SP, Lee I, Ghoroghchian PP, Frail PR, Zheng G, Glickson JD & Therien MJ Bioconjugate Chemistry, 2005 Meso-to-meso ethyne-bridged tris[(porphinato)zinc(II)] (PZn3) near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores (λemmax ∼800 nm) can be rendered sufficiently amphiphilic to enable their facile incorporation into the hydrophobic core of the apo form of low-density lipoprotein (apo-LDL).Continue Reading
Zhang Z, Li H, Liu Q, Zhou L, Zhang M, Luo Q, Glickson J, Chance B & Zheng G Biosensors and Bioelectronics, 2004 One of the biochemical “hallmarks” of malignancy is enhanced tumor glycolysis, which is primary due to the overexpression of glucose transporters (GLUTs) and the increased activity ofContinue Reading
