First Advisor
Lei Wang
Date of Award
Spring 6-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Chemistry and University Honors
Department
Chemistry
Language
English
Subjects
Lung cancer, chemical probes, EGFR, Fluorescence Guided Surgery, Afatinib
Abstract
Lung cancer remains one of the most prevalent and lethal cancers in the US, accounting for a significant portion of cancer-related diagnoses and deaths every year. Complete surgical resection remains one of the best options for patients with early-stage lung cancer. Fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) using fluorescent contrast agents provides surgeons with real time intraoperative feedback, increasing the likelihood of complete tumor resection. Afatinib, an FDA approved inhibitor that targets Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR), provides a promising targeting ligand for FGS due to the overexpression of EGFR in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases. OregonFluor-650 (OF-650), a dye previously developed by our group for quantitative live cell imaging, was chosen as the fluorescent reporter for our design because of its inertness, near-infrared (NIR) emission, water solubility, and cell membrane permeability. Two probes were designed to evaluate the role of the afatinib Michael acceptor in FGS probes for lung cancer. OF-AFN 1 was designed as a reversibly binding probe lacking afatinib’s acrylamide group, while OF-AFN 2 retained this acrylamide warhead to enable covalent binding. These probes were used to assess whether preserving the afatinib Michael acceptor improves protein labeling, cellular retention, and tumor contrast. While photophysical data suggested substantial quenching of the fluorophore in OF-AFN 2, in silico molecular docking and in vitro live cell imaging suggested that the probe maintained strong EGFR associated signal in lung cancer cells.
Recommended Citation
Singh, Jasjot, "Design of Near Infrared EGFR-Targeted Fluorescent Probes for Lung Cancer Imaging" (2026). University Honors Theses. Paper 1844.