# Persistently luminescent lanthanide constructs: A new approach for medical imaging

> **NIH NIH SC3** · HERBERT H. LEHMAN COLLEGE · 2020 · $123,750

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
The goal of this SC3 grant is to develop modular chemical building blocks for use in
lanthanide-based, multi-modal luminescent probes for bioimaging applications. The
approach will utilize the properties of persistently luminescent nanoparticles (PNLPs),
which can store excitation energy and thermally release it over time. The central
hypothesis is that a PLNP can stimulate emission from a tethered lanthanide complex in
situ, avoiding the need for excitation of the luminescent probe through tissue. A
persistently luminescent probe that can emit low energy light in the tissue transparency
window can potentially provide information on disease localization with only the use of a
near-infrared (NIR) sensitive camera.
Fluorescence imaging can provide sub mm resolution in vivo but the bottleneck for
implementation is the poor tissue penetration of the photons needed for excitation, and
of the probe emission itself (<1 cm). The approach within this grant has the potential to
move fluorescence imaging past the in vivo bottleneck by increasing tissue penetration.
It will improve on the resolution offered by other imaging techniques, offer higher
sensitivity and will be able to be used without exposing patients to a radiation dose. The
modular nature of the proposed PLNP constructs will allow for their customization on an
application-needed basis; the tethered lanthanide complexes can report on their
surroundings, providing information on pH and O2 concentrations and influence the
construct's localization in the body.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9929597
- **Project number:** 5SC3GM122654-04
- **Recipient organization:** HERBERT H. LEHMAN COLLEGE
- **Principal Investigator:** Benjamin Burton-Pye
- **Activity code:** SC3 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $123,750
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-06-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9929597

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9929597, Persistently luminescent lanthanide constructs: A new approach for medical imaging (5SC3GM122654-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9929597. Licensed CC0.

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