Water-soluble chlorophyll-binding protein (wscp)-chlorophyll complex as contrast agent for photoacoustic imaging
AssigneeThe Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
InventorsTsz Wai WONG, Tsz Chun Victor TSANG, Hayeon KIM
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Abstract
Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) holds immense potential for non-invasive anatomical and functional imaging. Water-soluble chlorophyll-binding proteins (WSCPs) from Lepidium virginicum were successfully reconstituted with chlorophyll a, bacteriochlorophyll a, and bacteriochlorophyll b. The resulting complexes exhibit strong near-infrared (NIR) absorption, distinct and non-overlapping spectral profiles, and concentration-dependent photoacoustic (PA) signal generation. These properties make them suitable as contrast agents for PAI in various applications, particularly in clinical settings such as disease detection and monitoring.
Claims20
A method for photoacoustic imaging a subject, the method comprising:
- (a) administering an effective amount of a water-soluble chlorophyll-binding protein (WSCP)-chlorophyll complex at a site of the subject, wherein the WSCP-chlorophyll complex comprises a Lepidium virginicum WSCP (LvP) and a chlorophyll selected from the group consisting of chlorophyll a, bacteriochlorophyll a, and bacteriochlorophyll b;
- (b) irradiating the subject with light thereby inducing a photoacoustic signal from the WSCP-chlorophyll complex;
- (c) detecting the photoacoustic signal;
- and
- (d) generating a photoacoustic image of the site based on the detected photoacoustic signal.
A method for photoacoustic imaging, the method comprising:
- providing an effective amount of a water-soluble chlorophyll-binding protein (WSCP)-chlorophyll complex comprising a Lepidium virginicum WSCP (LvP) and a chlorophyll selected from the group consisting of chlorophyll a, bacteriochlorophyll a, and bacteriochlorophyll b;
- irradiating the WSCP-chlorophyll complex with pulsed light having a wavelength in the range of 650 nm to 900 nm thereby inducing a photoacoustic signal;
- detecting the photoacoustic signal;
- and
- generating a photoacoustic image based on the detected photoacoustic signal.
A water-soluble chlorophyll-binding protein (WSCP)-chlorophyll complex, comprising a Lepidium virginicum WSCP (LvP) and Rhodospirillum rubrum bacteriochlorophyll a, or Blastochloris viridis bacteriochlorophyll b.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.