Near infrared-emitting persistent luminescent nanoparticles for Hepatocellular Carcinoma imaging and luminescence-guided surgery.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the fifth most common cancer worldwide, is increasing nowadays and poses a serious threat to human health. However, if treated effectively and timely, it is clinically manageable or curable. Therefore, accurate detection and complete surgical resection remain priorities for HCC with a high potential of improving both survival and quality of life. Lacking of real-time guide technology, traditional surgery are usually relied on the subjective experience of surgeon, which have the limitation of high sensitivity detection tumor. Here, we developed a contrast agent, ZnGa2O4Cr0.004 (ZGC), used for guided surgery during operation to accurate delineation of HCC. ZGC showed excellent long-lasting afterglow properties that lasted for hours, which can aid in real-time guided surgery. Meanwhile, ZGC display high spatial resolution and deep penetration during pre-operation for diagnostic computed tomography (CT). Interestingly, we observed reverse imaging in the tumor region, known as a "dark hole", which further improves the contrast for surgery. This new multi-modality nanoparticle has great potential for accurate liver cancer imaging and resection guidance.