TRA-CMG-ASC

TRA-CMG-ASC is an experimental targeted diagnostic contrast agent developed for Multispectral Optoacoustic Tomography (MSOT) to detect HER2-positive cancers, such as breast cancer. It consists of the HER2-targeting monoclonal antibody trastuzumab conjugated to mesoporous silica-coated, chitosan-capped gold nanorods (CMGs). The gold nanorods are synthesized using ascorbic acid (ASC) as a reducing agent to control their length, resulting in a distinct light absorbance spectrum in the near-infrared range (680–900 nm). This unique spectral signature allows TRA-CMG-ASC to be differentiated from other contrast agents (such as TRA-CMG-H2O2) in real-time during multiplexed MSOT imaging. The agent specifically binds to HER2-expressing cancer cells, enabling high-resolution, deep-tissue visualization of tumors.

Other names

Trastuzumab-conjugated mesoporous silica-coated chitosan-capped gold nanorods (ascorbic acid reduced)