The present invention aims at providing a novel indocyanine compound solving problems of conventionally used indocyanine green, such as solubility in water or physiological saline, a synthesis method and a purification method thereof, and a diagnostic composition including the novel indocyanine compound. Further, provided are a method for evaluating biokinetics of the novel indocyanine compound and a device for measuring biokinetics, and a method and a device for visualizing circulation of fluid such as blood in a living body, which utilize the diagnostic composition. Also, found are a novel indocyanine compound in which a hydrophobic moiety in a near-infrared fluorescent indocyanine molecule is included in a cavity of a cyclic sugar chain cyclodextrin to cover the hydrophobic moiety in the indocyanine molecule with the glucose, and a synthesis method and a purification method thereof. Furthermore, found are a method for fluorescence-imaging an organ other than liver by intravenous administration, a method for evaluating biokinetics of the novel indocyanine compound, a device for measuring biokinetics, and a method and a device for visualizing circulation of fluid such as blood in a living body, utilizing the diagnostic composition including the novel indocyanine compound.

Infrared dyes having an infrared absorption maximum above 1130 nm with minor colouration in the visual spectrum. The infrared dyes are especially useful for producing multicolour laser marked security documents having reduced background coloration and enhanced colour gamut.

Hydrogels that degrade under appropriate conditions of pH and temperature by virtue of crosslinking compounds that cleave through an elimination reaction are described. The hydrogels may be used for delivery of various agents, such as pharmaceuticals.

The problem of the present invention is to overcome drawbacks of conventional optical filters such as near-infrared cut filters and to provide an optical filter which generates little scatted light even during light absorption and has excellent transmittance property. The optical filter of the present invention is characterized by containing a squarylium-based compound and a compound which absorbs or quenches fluorescence of the squarylium-based compound. The optical filter of the present invention preferably contains a near-infrared absorbing dye containing a squarylium compound (A) and at least one compound (B) selected from the group consisting of a phthalocyanine-based compound (B-1) and a cyanine-based compound (B-2).

The problem of the present invention is to overcome drawbacks of conventional optical filters such as near-infrared cut filters and to provide an optical filter which generates little scatted light even during light absorption and has excellent transmittance property. The optical filter of the present invention is characterized by containing a squarylium-based compound and a compound which absorbs or quenches fluorescence of the squarylium-based compound. The optical filter of the present invention preferably contains a near-infrared absorbing dye containing a squarylium compound (A) and at least one compound (B) selected from the group consisting of a phthalocyanine-based compound (B-1) and a cyanine-based compound (B-2).

The present invention relates to compositions for and methods of optically imaging tissues or cells using imaging agents having desirable in vivo properties that result in improved signal-to-background ratio.

This invention relates to new fluorescent chemical entities, especially fluorescent molecules that comprise biocompatible N, N-disubstituted sulfonamide fluorochromes. This invention also relates to the corresponding reactive versions of such molecules. This invention also relates to the corresponding conjugates with moieties such as peptides, proteins, various biomolecules, carbocyclic and heterocyclic compounds, sugars, and their uses thereof.

In various embodiments, the present invention provides fluorescent dyes that are linked to another species through an adaptor moiety. In an exemplary embodiment, the dye is linked to a polyphosphate nucleic acid through an adaptor. An adaptor can be a component of a linker. These conjugates find use in single molecule DNA sequencing and other applications. In various embodiments, the dye moiety is a cyanine dye. Cyanine dyes that are highly charged, such as those including multiple sulfonate, alkylsulfonate, carboxylate and/or alkylcarboxylate moieties are examples of cyanine dyes of use in the compounds of the invention.

A photosensitizer is a dye represented by the following formula (I) or its salt. In the following chemical formula, m represents an integer of 0 through 4, and n represents an integer of 0 or 1, and p represents an integer of 0 to 2. R.sub.1, R.sub.2 and R.sub.3 represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an aryl group or the like. R.sub.4, R.sub.4, R.sub.4, R.sub.5, R.sub.6, R.sub.7, R.sub.8 and R.sub.9 represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group and the like. X represents a carbonyl group or the like. Z.sub.1 and Z.sub.2 represent a carboxyl group or the like: ##STR00001##

Provided herein are functionalized pegylated cyanine compounds containing a reactive group suitable for labeling a biomolecule or pharmaceutical compositions and methods of use thereof. In one embodiment, the compounds are based on formula I shown below.

##STR00001##

In other embodiments, the compounds can be pegylated at one or more of the following locations R.sup.1, R.sup.4, R.sup.6, R.sup.9, or L.