Intravascular imaging device and uses thereof

A vascular system and/or blood optical imaging system comprising:

• an intravascular optical imaging probe configured for optically imaging one or both of in vivo blood and/or an in vivo vascular system, and,
• a optical imaging agent configured for co-acting with the intravascular optical imaging probe for optically imaging one or both of in vivo blood and/or an in vivo vascular system, the optical imaging agent comprising:
• a single optical imaging chromophore with a single tether to a specific targeting molecule having enhanced function in optical imaging in an in vivo tissue of interest, the tissue of interest being one or more of in vivo blood, an in vivo blood component or an in vivo vascular system;
• each combination of an optical imaging chromophore and tether and targeting molecule having a combined molecular weight of less than 2 KD,
• the tether being short (—CH2(CH2)n-;
• n=1-10) or a limited MW polylysine or a peptide and having enhanced functionality in optical imaging beyond tethering and being used in in vivo intravascular optical imaging;
• the targeting molecule including one of:
• Anhydride
• Acylchloride
• N-hydroxysuccinamide
• Activated esters
• Isothiocyanate
• Melamide
• IgG
• metabolite,
• receptor ligands,
• activated amino
• specific abnormal cell penetration vectors
• metabolite
• omega-phenantrene pentadecanoic acid
• Hormone
• triphenyl-16-estradiol-phosphonium Nitrate
• Apoptotic agent
• A (6-8) amino acid truncated derivative of Anexin-V
• Blood flow agent
• 4-chrompohphor-
• triphenyl phosphonium nitrate
• Storage agent
• Aryl-guanidine
• Prostate binder-
• chain alkyl amine-
• Acetylcholine
• Biotin(vector)-agent-
• Biotin-antisense-
• Biotin-
• Adenosine
• Ap4Aanalog-
• Ap2(Chromophore)p2A
• Acetylcholine receptor
• RS 86;
• wherein the combined optical imaging chromophore, tether and targeting molecule are one or more of disposed and configured to:
• be injected into an in vivo subject,
• move through the blood system in the blood of the in vivo subject,
• target a specific in vivo tissue of interest in a subject, the in vivo tissue of interest being one or more of in vivo blood, an in vivo blood component or an in vivo vascular system and
• attach to the specific in vivo tissue in a subject without damage thereto and provide optical imaging contrast for and in coaction with the intravascular optical imaging device;
• wherein the optical imaging agent comprises one or more of:
• chromophore-anhydride, chromophore-acylchloride, chromophore-Nhydroxysuccinamide, chromophore-activated esters, chromophore-isothiocyanate, chromophore-melamide, albumin-chromophore isothiocyanate, polylysine-chromophore isothiocyanate, chromophore-IgG, palloidin-fluorescein isothiocyanate, lectinflourescein isothiocynate, lipophilic cationic dyes, mag-indo-1N,N′-bis(salicylidene), ethylenediamine, potassium binding benzofuran isophthalate-AM, 6-methoxy-1-(3-aulfopropyl)quinolinium monohydrate, 9,9′-bis(N-methylacridinium nitrate), tris(4,7-dipheyl-1,10-phenanthrolin)ruthenium(11) dichloride complex, quinones, rhodamine-based, porpherine-based, dequelinium, S 13, tetralphenyl phosphonium-based, amino acid color reaction reagent (DNP), metabolite-chromophore, hormone-chromophore, apoptotic agent-chromophore, blood flow agent-chromophore, storage agent-chromophore, prostate binder-chromophore, acetylcholine-chromophore, biotin(vector)-agent-chromophore, biotin-chromophore, ap4analog-chromphore, and acetylcholine receptor agonist/antagonist.