High-throughput SWCNT NIR-II screening enables cell and <i>in vivo</i> applications

Diagnostic sensor development and clinical translation lag, in part, due to a lack of rapid, high-throughput screening methodology. Optimization of high-throughput sensor development and deployment will likely help in expediting tools toward the clinic. To address this issue, we optimized high-throughput screening parameters using a near-infrared (NIR-II) plate reader attached to an external probe for <i>in vivo</i> testing. We assessed spectroscopy parameters to improve speed and precision in screening a single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)-based optical sensor. To do so, we assessed the appropriate well plate specifications, including laser power, excitation wavelength, exposure time, and focal height parameters for SWCNT-based optical sensor development. We also used the plate reader to screen fluorescent SWCNT which were endocytosed by a macrophage cell line. We then performed NIR probe spectroscopy to assess SWCNT embedded within a methylcellulose hydrogel. Finally, we used the NIR probe to measure SWCNT center wavelength and intensity from live immunocompetent mice. We anticipate that this framework may be broadly applicable to the development of near infrared nanosensors with the potential for more rapid clinical diagnostic translation.