Lighting-up breast cancer cells by a near-infrared fluorescent probe based on KIAA1363 enzyme-targeting.

The first NIR KIAA1363-targeting probe, NB-AX, specifically and instantly featured an "off-on" switch upon gradual addition of KIAA1363 over all kinds of other biomolecules, and its detection limit was initially calculated to be 0.58 μg mL-1 (3δ/k). The probe was also able to be used in ultrafast distinguishing of breast cancer cells from normal cells in fluorescence imaging and applied in tissue imaging and tumor imaging in vivo.