Affiliation:
1. Institute of Functional Material Chemistry and National & Local United Engineering Lab for Power Battery Faculty of Chemistry Northeast Normal University Changchun Jilin 130024 China
2. Center for AIE Research Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Polymer Science and Technology Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials College of Materials Science and Engineering Shenzhen University Shenzhen 518060 China
3. Key Laboratory of Nanobiosensing and Nanobioanalysis at Universities of Jilin Province Faculty of Chemistry Northeast Normal University Changchun Jilin 130024 China
4. Department of Urology Tianjin First Central Hospital Tianjin 300192 China
5. School of Science and Engineering Shenzhen Institute of Aggregate Science and Technology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Shenzhen (CUHK‐Shenzhen) Guangdong 518172 China
Abstract
AbstractAs a modality of optical imaging, fluorescence imaging of biochemical analytes holds significant potential in the field of disease diagnosis and therapy. However, the non‐responsive fluorophores are not able to selectively and sensitively detect lesions, resulting in a poor signal‐to‐background ratio and compromised accuracy. The utilization of activatable sensors, in contrast, is capable of effectively overcoming these limitations by displaying variations in fluorescence intensity and spectral wavelength in response to physiological parameters. Aggregation‐induced emission luminogens (AIEgens), particularly those emitting fluorescence in the near‐infrared (NIR, 700–1700 nm) window, have practical application prospects in disease theranostics due to their excellent photostability, deeper penetration depth, and enhanced fluorescence intensity in physiological environments. In this review, an overview of the advancements in research on NIR AIEgens for internal stimuli‐activated diagnosis and treatment of diseases is provided. The design principles of responsive NIR AIEgens and their biomedical applications are exemplified with representative examples, categorized based on the type of stimuli. Finally, the review concludes with a brief discussion of the challenges, opportunities, and future prospects of activatable NIR AIEgens in the field of disease photo theranostics.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Program