At present, the best way for human beings to deal with the "cancer devil" is to detect and treat it as soon as possible. So, is there an instrument that can detect blood glucose like a blood glucose meter, so it is convenient and quick to carry out early warning and diagnosis of major diseases such as cancer? The study of molecular imaging probe by Meng Qingtao, Ph.D., Liaoning University of science and technology, is expected to overcome the common human problem of cancer by monitoring the specific expression of active markers at the cell level in the early stage of cancer and other diseases.

      Medical imaging technology is like a doctor's "eyes", but it can only observe the changes of human anatomy, not explain the causes of diseases, nor answer complex clinical questions. Molecular imaging technology can not only "see" but also "see early", and can "see" physiological and pathological changes at the biological cell or molecular level as early as possible, explore the abnormalities of early markers (bioactive molecules, ions and free radicals, etc.) of various diseases, provide clinical early warning information in the early stage of lesion formation, and truly realize early diagnosis and treatment.

"Molecular imaging technology" is just to use "molecular imaging probe" to lock the "cancer devil" as early as possible, and then block its throat. In this way, if the "cancer devil" accidentally encounters this magic probe, especially the advantages of strong specificity, high sensitivity, fast fluorescent molecular probe, it must be "lying in the gun." Meng Qingtao vividly described the role of "probe".

      At the beginning of 2014, several fluorescent molecular probes developed by Meng Qingtao and his team members successfully achieved the specific capture and quantitative analysis of inorganic phosphates and sulfur ions in human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231), and the research results were highly recognized by experts in this field.

      In the course of the study, they were surprised to find that some probes enter the cells and are concentrated in some functional areas. In combination with this phenomenon, Meng Qingtao thinks that it is feasible to design fluorescent molecular probes with subcellular structure targeting function through reasonable structural regulation. His idea has been verified by experiments. They have successfully developed a series of fluorescent molecular probes with the function of targeting and positioning organelles, which can detect important markers in organelles with high specificity.

      On the basis of consulting a large number of literatures, Meng Qingtao has repeatedly experimented and finally successfully developed a fluorescent molecular probe which can distinguish cysteine from amino acids and mercaptans and other complex compounds, that is, using the probe to successfully analyze the content of cysteine in human urine. Subsequently, they developed lysosomal targeted histidine fluorescent probes and cytoplasmic targeted iron ion fluorescent probes, which were successfully applied to human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231) and human glioblastoma cells (u-343mga) and other cell lines. These series of molecular imaging probes have potential applications in early warning and screening of major diseases.

      "Just like using a blood glucose meter to detect blood glucose level, our series of imaging probes can detect the content, distribution and status of bioactive species in the subcellular structure of the human body in real time and quantitatively, which is convenient and fast," Meng Qingtao said. The probe can analyze active ions and molecules at the molecular or cellular level, and explore the law of disease occurrence and development, which is expected to provide health warning information before the formation of lesions. "