The present invention relates to dyes and stains, more particularly to dyes and stains that can be used in vivo or in situ, such as for optical biopsies.
A biopsy is where tissue is examined under a microscope in order to obtain a cellular- and molecular-level diagnosis. Traditional biopsies (e.g., a physical biopsy) feature obtaining a piece of a patient's tissue, processing the tissue, and subsequently examining the tissue under the microscope. Unlike traditional biopsies, an optical biopsy involves taking the microscope directly into the patient's tissue. The benefits of a direct optical biopsy may include helping to decrease the rate of false-negative or inconclusive physical biopsy results, obviate the need for a physical biopsy, and provide for faster diagnoses.
The traditional biopsy process requires the tissue to be stained with various dyes to enable visualization of the microscopic architecture or cell type. The most commonly used stain is a hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain. Other stains that are commonly used include Gram stain, Cresyl violet, silver nitrate, Gomori Trichrome, Wright's blood, Feulgen reaction, Masson's Trichrome, Toluidine blue, Giemsa, Prussian Blue, etc. However, such dyes are not FDA approved for in vivo use. Optical biopsies are currently limited to what can be seen with visible or near visible wavelengths, limiting its usefulness since hemoglobin dominates the visual spectrum and naturally-fluorescing molecules do not provide sensitive or specific information.
A spectrum of drugs individually is currently FDA-approved for optical/fluorescence imaging, such as indocyanine green, fluorescein, oftasceine, trypan blue, etc. However, no combination of FDA-approved drugs has been developed to provide an adequate optical biopsy stain, such as an H&E equivalent.
One of the unique and inventive technical features of the present invention is the combination of certain drugs or dyes at particular optimal concentrations to create a fluorescent optical biopsy stain panel, such as an H&E equivalent. For example, certain combinations of drugs or dyes allow for emission of two (or more) different wavelengths (colors) upon excitation with one wavelength. Thus, the stain panels of the present invention may allow for multiplexing. None of the presently known prior references or work has the unique inventive technical feature of the present invention.
Furthermore, the prior references teach away from the present invention. For example, it is counterintuitive to use multiple dyes in an optical biopsy stain panel because there is often an overlap of the fluorescent emission signals of the different dyes. However, it was discovered that certain combinations of dyes at specific ratios of concentrations are distinct enough to be used in an optical biopsy stain panel. For example,
In some aspects, the present invention features optical biopsy stain panels. In certain embodiments, the stain panels comprise two or more agents, wherein either (or all) of the agents fluorescently stains: nucleic acids; cytoplasm; cell or subcellular membranes; subcellular organelles; extracellular matrix components; or microbes.
In certain embodiments, one or more of the agents are clinical drugs. In certain embodiments, one or more of the agents are therapeutic drugs. In certain embodiments, one or more of the agents are supplements or food additives generally recognized as safe.
In certain embodiments, the agents are existing clinically-used agents. In some embodiments, the agents can be fluorescent nucleic acid stains selected from a group of nucleic acid-binding agents, such as, for example, aminoacridines, anthracyclines, anthracenediones, or phenothiazines. In certain embodiments, the aminoacridines are 9-aminmoacridine or proflavine, or others. In certain embodiments, the anthracyclines are Daunorubicin, Doxorubicin, Epirubicin, Idarubicin, Nogalamycin, or Valrubicin, or others. In certain embodiments, the anthracenediones are mitoxantrone or pixantrone, or others. In certain embodiments, the phenothiazine is methylene blue, or others.
In some other embodiments, the agents can be fluorescent cytoplasmic stains selected from a group of protein binding agents, such as heterotetracyclic and heteropentacyclic compounds, xanthylium dyes, azo dyes, indoles, or phthalein dyes. In certain embodiments, the heterotetracyclic and heteropentacyclic compounds are fluorescein or Rose Bengal, or others. In certain embodiments, the xanthylium dye is phloxine B, or others. In certain embodiments, the azo dye is Congo Red, or others. In certain embodiments, the indole is Indigo Carmine, or others. In certain embodiments, the phthalein dye is phenol red, or others.
In certain embodiments, the stains are existing clinically-used agents and fluorescent cell or subcellular membrane staining components, including drugs from Table 3 below. In certain embodiments, the stains are existing clinically-used agents and fluorescent organelle staining components, including drugs from Tables 4 and 5 below. In certain embodiments, the stains are existing clinically-used agents that stain extracellular matrix components. In certain embodiments, the stains are existing clinically-used agents that stain microbes.
In certain embodiments, the fluorescent nucleic acid stain is Daunorucibin and the fluorescent cytoplasmic stain is Fluorescein. In certain embodiments, the fluorescent nucleic acid stain is Methylene Blue and the fluorescent cytoplasmic stain is Fluorescein. In certain embodiments, the fluorescent nucleic acid stain is Methylene Blue and the fluorescent cytoplasmic stain is Phenol Red. In certain embodiments, the fluorescent nucleic acid stain is Methylene Blue and the fluorescent cytoplasmic stain is Phloxine B. In certain embodiments, the fluorescent nucleic acid stain is Methylene Blue and the fluorescent cytoplasmic stain is Rose Bengal. In certain embodiments, the fluorescent nucleic acid stain is Mitoxantrone and the fluorescent cytoplasmic stain is Fluorescein. In certain embodiments, the fluorescent nucleic acid stain is Mitoxantrone and the fluorescent cytoplasmic stain is Phenol Red. In certain embodiments, the fluorescent nucleic acid stain is Mitoxantrone and the fluorescent cytoplasmic stain is Phloxine B. In certain embodiments, the fluorescent nucleic acid stain is Mitoxantrone and the fluorescent cytoplasmic stain is Rose Bengal. In certain embodiments, the fluorescent nucleic acid stain is Proflavine and the fluorescent cytoplasmic stain is Rose Bengal.
In some embodiments, the present invention also features an apparatus where the illumination of an optical biopsy stain panel according to the present invention is about a single wavelength. In certain embodiments, the observation occurs through color filtering means or amplification or conversion of the resultant fluorescence into observable color range.
In other embodiments, the present invention features methods where fluorescence from an optical biopsy stain according to the present invention is observed even indirectly with the human eye.
In some embodiments, the present invention also features optical biopsy stain panels, where the panels comprise two or more agents. In one embodiment of the optical biopsy stain panels, one of the agents is a fluorescent nuclear stain. In another embodiment of the optical biopsy stain panels, one of the agents is a fluorescent cytoplasmic stain. In yet another embodiment of the optical biopsy stain panels, one agent is a fluorescent nuclear stain and another agent is a fluorescent cytoplasmic stain.
Note that while endoscopy, colonoscopy, bronchoscopy, arthroscopy, and other similar procedures may feature applying a microscope directly to tissue, the anatomy can be seen without the aid of fluorescence stains. For example, the procedures may rely on autofluorescence of tissue, or in some cases, the procedures utilize visual dyes for viewing in white lights. Without wishing to limit the present invention to any theory or mechanism, optical biopsies cannot rely on low-sensitivity autofluorescence of tissue, and the visual spectrum is often dominated by hemoglobin, limiting white light or non-fluorescence usefulness.
Any feature or combination of features described herein are included within the scope of the present invention provided that the features included in any such combination are not mutually inconsistent as will be apparent from the context, this specification, and the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art. Additional advantages and aspects of the present invention are apparent in the following detailed description and claims.
The features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description presented in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
Unless otherwise explained, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which a disclosed invention belongs. The singular terms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless context clearly indicates otherwise. Similarly, the word “or” is intended to include “and” unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The term “comprising” means that other elements can also be present in addition to the defined elements presented. The use of “comprising” indicates inclusion rather than limitation. Stated another way, the term “comprising” means “including principally, but not necessary solely”. Furthermore, variation of the word “comprising”, such as “comprise” and “comprises”, have correspondingly the same meanings. In one respect, the technology described herein related to the herein described compositions, methods, and respective component(s) thereof, as essential to the invention, yet open to the inclusion of unspecified elements, essential or not (“comprising”).
All embodiments disclosed herein can be combined with other embodiments unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
Suitable methods and materials for the practice and/or testing of embodiments of the disclosure are described below. Such methods and materials are illustrative only and are not intended to be limiting. Other methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used. For example, conventional methods well known in the art to which the disclosure pertains are described in various general and more specific references.
All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. In case of conflict, the present specification, including explanations of terms, will control.
The present invention features optical biopsy staining panels for in vivo or in situ staining of tissue, e.g., for the purpose of a direct biopsy such as an optical biopsy, or in conjunction with a physical biopsy followed by optical biopsy of the harvested tissue. While the compounds used in the optical biopsy staining panels may be FDA-approved chromogenic or fluorescent drugs, none have been used for fluorescent optical staining. Further, it was surprisingly discovered that combinations of said drugs at specific concentrations could be used as fluorescent stain panels.
Table 1 below shows examples of FDA-approved chromogenic/fluorescent drugs and their current uses
Table 2 below shows non-limiting examples of optical biopsy stain panels according to the present invention. The biopsy stain panels may, for example, be equivalent to a traditional H&E stain. For example, in certain embodiments, the compound in the “Dye 1” category represents a nuclear/DNA stain and the compounds in the “Dye 2” category represent a protein/cytoplasm stain.
Table 3 below shows non-limiting examples of clinically-used agents also working as lipid membrane stains based on similarity to membrane bilayer research dyes.
Table 4 below shows non-limiting examples of clinically-used agents with localization to mitochondria as the prototypical subcellular organelle.
Table 5 below shows non-limiting examples of clinically-used agents with localization to lysosomes and related organelles similar to research dyes.
The present invention is not limited to the aforementioned examples of optical biopsy stain panels.
Referring to
Methylene Blue was tested as a fluorescent DNA drug-dye in combination with several protein/cytoplasm dyes. These combinations were applied topically to bovine lung samples and imaged using confocal microscopy at 488nm excitation (see
Lastly, a combination of Proflavine and Rose Bengal was tested on bovine lung samples and evaluated with confocal microscopy (see
The present invention also features methods of use of the optical biopsy stain panels of the present invention. In certain embodiments, the methods feature injecting one or a combination of stains (e.g., in series, at the same time) into the target tissue, introducing the microscope (e.g., microendocsope) to the tissue, and viewing the stain. In certain embodiments, the methods herein provide for a provisional diagnosis and allow for determining whether or not to proceed with a physical biopsy.
The present invention also features kits comprising one or a combination of dyes disclosed herein, e.g., the combinations disclosed in Table 2. For example, in certain embodiments, the kit comprises Daunorucibin and Fluorescein; in certain embodiments, the kit comprises Proflavine and Rose Bengal; etc.
Table 6 below shows non-limiting examples of optical biopsy stain panels and the parts of the cell that are fluorescently labeled.
Table 7 below shows non-limiting examples of optical biopsy stain panels according to the present invention. The stain panels listed below use a combination of nucleus dyes and protein/cytoplasm dyes that have been optimized for their compatibility.
Although there has been shown and described the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made thereto which do not exceed the scope of the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the invention is only to be limited by the following claims. In some embodiments, the figures presented in this patent application are drawn to scale, including the angles, ratios of dimensions, etc. In some embodiments, the figures are representative only and the claims are not limited by the dimensions of the figures. In some embodiments, descriptions of the inventions described herein using the phrase “comprising” includes embodiments that could be described as “consisting essentially of” or “consisting of”, and as such the written description requirement for claiming one or more embodiments of the present invention using the phrase “consisting essentially of” or “consisting of” is met.
This application claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/960,444, filed Jan. 13, 2020, the specification(s) of which is/are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US21/13097 | 1/12/2021 | WO |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62960444 | Jan 2020 | US |