Science Advances · 2 October 2026 · From issue 47
A folate receptor-targeted NIR-II probe improves intraoperative imaging and surgery of metastatic ovarian cancer
In mice, a new glowing dye found more hidden ovarian tumors than the current best dye.
Wanying Li, Zimu Yuan et al.
In mice with spreading ovarian cancer, a new glowing dye found 90.2% of tumors, compared to 78.75% for the leading dye used in surgery today. The new dye sticks to a marker on cancer cells and also grabs a blood protein, so it stays in the body longer. It uses a deeper type of infrared light that shows sharper images and spotted tumors as small as 3 millimeters, hidden to the naked eye.
Tumor detection rate of the new dye versus the current clinical dye in mice.
Mouse study only, no human surgery data yet.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 6 October 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (Science Advances). Read the source
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