Sensitive β-galactosidase-targeting fluorescence probe for visualizing small peritoneal metastatic tumours in vivo.

Surgical removal of the metastases remains a life-extending approach to ovarian cancer, but the nodules are difficult to detect. Here the authors show that a new cell-permeable probe for β-galactosidase can sensitively and specifically detect peritoneal metastases in mouse models of ovarian cancer.