{"doi":"10.1101/2024.01.29.577849","title":"Multiplexed Short-wave Infrared Imaging Highlights Anatomical Structures in Mice","abstract":"has remained challenging due to the attenuation and scattering of visible and traditional near infrared (NIR-I) wavelengths. Fluorescence imaging using short-wave infrared (SWIR, 1000 - 1700 nm, a.k.a. NIR-II) light enables deeper tissue penetration for preclinical imaging compared to previous methods due to reduced tissue scattering and minimal background autofluorescence in this optical window. Combining NIR-I excitation wavelengths with multiple distinct SWIR emission peaks presents a tremendous opportunity to distinguish multiple fluorophores with high precision for non-invasive, multiplexed anatomical imaging in small animal models. SWIR-emitting semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) with tunable emission peaks and optical stability have emerged as powerful contrast agents, but SWIR imaging demonstrations have yet to move beyond two-color imaging schemes. In this study, we engineered a set of three high quantum yield lead sulfide/cadmium sulfide (PbS/CdS) core/shell QDs with distinct SWIR emissions ranging from 1100 - 1550 nm and utilize these for simultaneous three-color imaging in mice. We first use QDs to non-invasively track lymphatic drainage, highlighting the detailed network of lymphatic vessels with high-resolution with a widefield imaging over a 2 hr period. We then perform multiplexed imaging with all three QDs to distinctly visualize the lymphatic system and spatially overlapping vasculature network. This work establishes optimized SWIR QDs for next-generation multiplexed preclinical imaging, moving beyond the capability of previous dual-labeling techniques. The capacity to discriminate several fluorescent labels through non-invasive NIR-I excitation and SWIR detection unlocks numerous opportunities for studies of disease progression, drug biodistribution, and cell trafficking dynamics in living organisms.","journal":"bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)","year":2024,"id":493746,"datarank":0.0,"base_score":0.0,"endowment":0.0,"self_citation_contribution":0.0,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.0,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":0,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":0.9634,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":true,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":"2024-01-01","fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":1256608,"name":"Amish Patel","orcid":"0000-0002-3585-4431","position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1042964,"name":"Yidan Sun","orcid":"0000-0002-9147-5735","position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":572788,"name":"Alexander M. Saeboe","orcid":"0000-0003-4225-0510","position":3,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":290957,"name":"Allison M. Dennis","orcid":"0000-0001-5759-9905","position":4,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":572786,"name":"Xingjian Zhong","orcid":"0000-0002-9133-0018","position":0,"is_corresponding":true}],"reference_count":47,"raw_metadata":{"citation_network_status":"fetched"},"created_at":"2026-07-19T02:09:03.883685Z","pmid":"38352582","pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}