# Multiplexed Imaging in the Near Infrared with Indium Phosphide Quantum Shells

> **NIH NIH R01** · BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS) · 2020 · $250,000

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
Fluorescence has significant potential for biomedical imaging applications because of the relatively low
cost of imaging equipment, the nominal toxicity of non-ionizing radiation (i.e., light), the potential for
molecular imaging using target-specific contrast agents, and the prospect of multiplexed imaging using
discretely colored fluorophores. Molecules common in biological tissues including lipids, water, and
hemoglobin scatter and absorb light, rendering tissue opaque to visible wavelengths, but longer, near
infrared (NIR) wavelengths penetrate deeper, giving us an optical window into the body. To see inside
a tissue, we require bright, photostable, highly absorbing, NIR fluorophores and effective imaging
equipment. Despite exceptional results in vitro, we can improve on the in vivo performance of organic
dyes, fluorescent proteins, and traditional semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), which are typically dim,
toxic, not red enough, or all of the above. We have created a material that literally flips a quantum dot
inside out to make a quantum shell (QS) comprised of non-toxic elements (In, P, Se, Zn, S) that is
tunable from 500 – 900+ nm. Because InP absorbs more efficiently than CdSe, these materials are
brighter than previous materials with a smaller size, while emitting in the NIR and reducing toxicity. Our
funded technology development plan involves refining the structural and optical properties of these
particles to generate a brightness-matched palette of fluorophores to enable multiplexed fluorescence
imaging in deep tissue. Through this equipment supplement, we request funding to replace an aging In
Vivo Imaging System with a state-of-the-art animal imager that is optimized for multiplexed NIR
imaging. A blue-enhanced InGaAs camera will facilitate imaging from 600 – 1600 nm, encompassing
the entire first optical tissue window and capturing red tail emission from the QSs in the second optical
tissue window as well. A volume Bragg grating enables hyperspectral imaging; high resolution spectral
information from every pixel will be used in demixing algorithms to support simultaneous imaging of
multiple fluorophores. Installation of this instrument on our primary campus will promote the
development and application of contrast agents and imaging protocols for multiplexed near infrared
imaging in mice.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10154603
- **Project number:** 3R01GM129437-01A1S1
- **Recipient organization:** BOSTON UNIVERSITY (CHARLES RIVER CAMPUS)
- **Principal Investigator:** Allison Marie Dennis
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $250,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2019-09-15 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10154603

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10154603, Multiplexed Imaging in the Near Infrared with Indium Phosphide Quantum Shells (3R01GM129437-01A1S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10154603. Licensed CC0.

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