The identification and molecular profiling of early metastases remains a major challenge in cancer diagnostics and therapy. Most in vivo imaging methods fail to detect small cancerous lesions, a problem that is compounded by the distinct physical and biological barriers associated with different metastatic niches. Here, we show that intravenously injected rare-earth-doped albumin-encapsulated nanoparticles emitting short-wave infrared light (SWIR) can detect targeted metastatic lesions in vivo, allowing for the longitudinal tracking of multi-organ metastases. In a murine model of human breast cancer, the nanoprobes enabled whole-body SWIR detection of adrenal-gland microlesions and bone lesions that were undetectable via contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging as early as three and five weeks post-inoculation, respectively. Whole-body SWIR imaging of nanoprobes functionalized to differentially target distinct metastatic sites and administered to a biomimetic murine model of human breast cancer resolved multi-organ metastases that showed varied molecular profiles in the lungs, adrenal glands and bones. Real-time surveillance of lesions in multiple organs should facilitate pre- and post-therapy monitoring in preclinical settings.

早期转移的鉴定和分子谱分析仍然是癌症诊断和治疗中的主要挑战。大多数体内成像方法无法检测出微小的癌性病变，而与不同转移性利基症相关的独特的物理和生物屏障使这一问题更加复杂。在这里，我们显示静脉注射稀土掺杂的白蛋白包裹的纳米粒子发出短波红外光（SWIR）可以在体内检测目标转移灶，从而可以纵向追踪多器官转移灶。在人类乳腺癌的小鼠模型中，纳米探针可以分别在接种后三周和五周通过全身SWIR检测肾上腺微病变和骨骼病变，而这是通过对比增强磁共振成像无法检测到的。纳米探针的全身SWIR成像功能可区别地靶向不同的转移部位，并应用于人类乳腺癌的仿生鼠模型中，从而解决了多器官转移，该多器官转移在肺，肾上腺和骨骼中显示出不同的分子特征。对多个器官病变的实时监测应有助于在临床前环境中进行治疗前和治疗后的监测。