Indocyanine green modified silica shells for colon tumor marking

Abstract Marking colon tumors for surgery is normally done with the use of India ink. However, non-fluorescent dyes such as India ink cannot be imaged below the tissue surface and there is evidence for physiological complications such as abscess, intestinal perforation and inconsistency of dye injection. A novel infrared marker was developed using FDA approved indocyanine green (ICG) dye and ultrathin hollow silica nanoshells (ICG/HSS). Using a positively charged amine linker, ICG was non-covalently adsorbed onto the nanoparticle surface. For ultra-thin wall 100 nm diameter silica shells, a bimodal ICG layer of