Quantitative intracellular distribution of WazaGaY

We developed WazaGaY, a novel, water‐soluble (i.e. Waza~), gallium(III)‐substituted aza‐BODIPY (i.e. ~GaY) fluorophore engineered for bimodal fluorescence and nuclear imaging performance, and tumor-targeting efficacy. WazaGaY exhibits outstanding in vivo tumor discrimination, demonstrated in 5 different tumor types. However, a quantitative, precise mapping of its intracellular distribution is necessary for further advancement of this compound towards image-guided surgical interventions. Fortunately, the intrinsic presence of the gallium atom, together with the advanced nanoscale imaging capabilities offered by the ID16 cryo-nanoprobe—recently enhanced by high-throughput, AI-guided XRF—provides a unique opportunity to determine how, where, and in what quantities this promising compound targets cancer cells.