Surgical resection is currently the only potentially curative option for patients with pancreatic cancer. However, the 5-year survival rate after resection is only 25%, due in part to high rates of R1 resections, in which cells are left behind at the surgical margin, resulting in disease recurrence. Fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) has emerged as a method to reduce incomplete resections and improve intraoperative assessment of cancer. Mucin-16 (MUC16), a protein biomarker highly overexpressed in pancreatic cancer, is a potential target for FGS. In this study, we developed a fluorescent MUC16-targeted antibody probe, AR9.6-IRDye800, for image-guided resection of pancreatic cancer. We demonstrated the efficacy of this probe to bind human pancreatic cancer cell lines in vitro and in vivo. In an orthotopic xenograft model, AR9.6-IRDye800 exhibited superior fluorescence enhancement of tumors and lower signal in critical background organs in comparison to a nonspecific IgG control. The results of this study suggest that AR9.6-IRDye800 has potential for success as a probe for FGS in pancreatic cancer patients, and MUC16 is a feasible target for intraoperative imaging.

A selective, sensitive, and rapid liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the quantitation of ICG in rat plasma. The chromatographic separation was achieved using an ACE excel C18 (3 µm, 50 × 3.0 mm) column, with a mobile phase composition of 0.1% formic acid and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile, using a gradient flow at a rate of 0.3 mL/min. The MS was operated at a unit resolution in the multiple reaction monitoring mode, using the precursor ion → product ion combinations of 753.3 → 330.2 m/z (ICG) and 747.45 → 717.50 (Cy7.5 amine) with a run time of 5 min. The assay was linear over a concentration range of 1–1000 ng/mL with a regression coefficient (r²) of 0.998 or better. The inter and intra-batch precision (% relative standard deviation, %RSD) was lower than 13.5%, with accuracy (%Bias) between −10.03% and 11.56%. The ICG was stable under laboratory storage and handling conditions. The validated method was successfully applied to preclinical pharmacokinetic (PK) studies of ICG at a dose of 0.39 mg/kg in rats. PK parameters suggested the highest plasma concentration within 2 min of intravenous dosing with restricted systemic distribution and rapid clearance.

Supplementary Figure S2 shows the biodistribution of fluorescent conjugates in subcutaneous xenografts at 144 h post-injection.

Compilation of supplemental figures.

Supplementary Figure S1 shows the fluorescence imaging dynamics of AR9.6-IRDye800 in a Colo357 subcutaneous xenograft model.