Phthalocyanines (Pcs) are ubiquitous organic dyes with applications ranging from dye-sensitized solar cells to photodynamic therapy (PDT) and biological imaging. The broad interest to these dyes is partially due to their stability, ease of synthesis and strong absorbance in the near-infrared (NIR) region. Use of Pcs in bioimaging is particularly promising as their fluorescent yield often increases upon binding to large biological molecules and their NIR absorbance and emission enable avoiding interference from naturally present emitters and allow for reduced damage of nearby healthy cells. We will report a novel Pc-based biological marker for the tyrosine kinase EGFR whose overexpression is linked to various forms of cancer. The design uses an asymmetric Zinc-Pc fragment linked to a Type-I quinazoline EGFR inhibitor and aims to provide specific fluorescent monitoring of the presence of cancerous EGFR over other non-specifically binding species. The use of this biological marker in conjunction with inhibitory therapy can improve treatment time and reduce cost of monitoring treatment progress.

Development of an asymmetric zinc phthalocyanine as a NIR fluorescent probe for EGFR

2019 Spring National Meeting

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