Near‐Infrared Organic Room Temperature Phosphorescent Probes Targeting Fibroblast Activation Protein for Surgical Navigation of Liver Cancer

ABSTRACT Hepatectomy is a critical treatment for liver cancer, but achieving complete tumor removal remains challenging. The development of tumor‐targeting probes capable of accurately identifying tumor locations and providing real‐time intraoperative navigation is of significant clinical importance. We synthesize a tumor‐targeted probe by conjugating a fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) with near‐infrared organic room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) material. We then analyze its surgical navigation performance in the liver cancer model and its imaging performance in fresh patient‐derived samples. In vivo validation reveals that the probe exhibits optimal phosphorescence intensity within 48 h (8.53 × 10 5 p s −1 cm −2 sr −1 ) and an average signal‐to‐noise ratio of 16. The probe could effectively identify FAP‐positive samples from liver cancer patients. The successful application of phosphorescence‐guided surgery suggests that the near‐infrared RTP probe holds significant clinical translational value and could serve as an auxiliary tool for the surgical treatment of liver cancer.