The present invention relates to the field of optical imaging. More particularly, it relates to compounds of the cyanine family with near- infrared emission characterized by improved physico-chemical and biological properties and to conjugates with biological ligands thereof. The invention also relates to the use of these compounds as optical diagnostic agents in imaging or therapy of solid tumors, to the methods for their preparation and to the compositions comprising them. The compounds have formula (I), formula (I), wherein X is direct bond or —O—; Y is a group selected from linear or branched C1-C6 alkyl, C3-C7 cycloalkyl and heterocyclyl, substituted by at least two hydroxyl groups; R1 and R2 are each independently a linear or branched C1-C6 alkyl substituted by a group selected from —SO3H, —COOH, —CONH2 and — COO—C1-C6 alkyl; and R3 is hydrogen, —SO3H or a linear or branched C1-C6 alkyl substituted by —COOH or —CONH—Y, wherein Y is a group selected from linear or branched C1-C6 alkyl, C3-C7 cycloalkyl and heterocyclyl, substituted by at least two hydroxyl groups.

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Provided herein are compounds that are able to bind metal ions (e.g., free metal ions or metal ions bound to low affinity ligands) in a sample or subject. Also provided herein are methods of using the compounds for chelating metal ions and for the treatment of diseases associated with abnormal levels of metal ions. Methods of preparing the compounds and pharmaceutical compositions are also provided.

Provided is a cyanine compound being bound counterions consisting of an anion and a cation, wherein the anion is represented by the following formula (I-1):

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wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group; R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 each independently represent a monovalent group such as a phenyl group; X represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom or a monovalent organic group; and Y represents a divalent group such as a n-propenyl group.

A near-infrared absorbing composition includes: an organic dye; and a metal compound. The organic dye includes: at least one of a squarylium dye (A) or a cyanine dye (B) each having an absorption maximum in a range of 680 to 740 nm; and a cyanine dye (C) having an absorption maximum at 760 nm or higher. The metal compound includes at least a phosphonic acid and a copper ion, or a copper phosphonate complex formed from a phosphonic acid and a copper ion.

Compounds useful as contrast agents in image-guided surgery are provided. The compounds comprise a latent cationic lysosomotropic fragment that is detectable upon cleavage by lysosomal proteases within treated tissues, particularly within tumors and other diseased tissues. Also provided are compositions comprising the compounds and methods for using the compounds, for example in dynamically monitoring protease activity in vivo during image-guided tumor resection surgery.

Provided herein is a drug delivery (DD) system for ratiometric luminescence determination of drug release degree in drug delivery monitoring, which includes a drug, a switchable reporter and non-switchable reporter providing two distinguishable signals for detection; or a single switchable reporter providing two distinguishable signals for detection, and a cleavable linker connecting a drug to a switchable reporter, as well as a method for ratiometric luminescence determination of drug release in a target (in vivo or in vitro), which is effected by administering the DD system provided herein that is capable of releasing a drug from the DD system, measuring two luminescent signals provided by the switchable reporter and the non-switchable reporter, or the single switchable reporter, determining the ratio between these two luminescence signals, and determining the drug release degree through the ratio between the two luminescence signals.

The present invention disclosed a squaraine dye of formula (I) and process for the preparation thereof. Further, the present invention disclosed to an electronic device comprising dye of formula (I).

A near infrared absorbing dye includes a croconium-based compound shown in formula (AI). In formula (AI), ring Z is either an optionally substituted 6-membered ring including no heteroatom or an optionally substituted 5-membered ring including 0 to 3 heteroatoms in the ring, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3, and R.sup.1 and a carbon atom or heteroatom as a part of ring Z may be linked to each other to respectively form a heteroring A, a heteroring B, and a heteroring C together with a nitrogen atom. ##STR00001##

This disclosure provides cyanine dye compounds having linked hydrogen bond-forming groups that can be used for detecting nucleic acids, particularly for fluorescent staining of DNA, in a biological sample. We found that the simultaneous incorporation of at least two hydrogen bond-forming groups (HBGs) into such a nucleic acid stain can provide for crosslinking interactions between the stain and the target nucleic acid, and lead to a significant increase in the detection sensitivity without substantially increasing undesirable cytotoxicity or mutagenicity properties of the dye compounds. The cyanine dye compounds can have a cyanine structure that connects two particular fused heterocycle ring systems, where at least two HBGs are connected to the core structure through linkers. Also provided are nucleic acid complexes including the cyanine dye compounds, and methods of using the compounds to detect nucleic acids in a biological sample.

The present disclosure provides encoded chromophoric polymer particles that are capable of, for example, optical and/or biomolecular encoding of analytes. The present disclosure also provides suspensions comprising a plurality of encoded chromophoric polymer particles. The present disclosure also provides methods of using the encoded chromophoric polymer particles and systems for performing multiplex analysis with encoded chromophoric polymer particles.