Multiplexed Imaging with Coordination Nanoparticles for Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy.

Multiplexed imaging offers great potential for precise and accurate diagnosis and therapy. Integrating multiplexed imaging with theranostics is promising to develop cancer therapeutics and diagnostics. However, the lack of versatile platforms with inherent different modalities and various probes hinders the potential of multiplexing imaging for cancer diagnosis and therapy. Here, we demonstrate that multiplexed imaging with advanced theranostic nanomaterials provides a potent method for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics both in vitro and in vivo . Unlike previous theranostic nanoplatforms, the prepared coordination nanomaterials have designable functionalities that are capable of imaging multiple intracellular biomarkers, multiple modality imaging, and photothermal ablation of tumor. Strikingly, this nanoplatform could specifically detect and image different tumor-related mRNAs simultaneously; allow infrared thermal, photoacoustic, and magnetic resonance imaging; and enable effective photothermal therapy to inhibit tumor growth in the MCF-7-derived mice xenograft tumor model. This study suggests that the nanoplatforms with designable functionalities may ultimately enable monitoring cancer processes, therapeutic mechanisms, and treatment outcomes. Exploring and exploiting multiplexed imaging with versatile theranostic nanoparticles may offer a powerful framework for precision medicine.