In Vivo Combined Photoacoustic Imaging and Photothermal Treatment of HPV‐Negative Head and Neck Carcinoma with NIR‐Responsive Non‐Persistent Plasmon Nano‐Architectures

The combination of photoacoustic imaging (PAI) and photothermal therapy (PTT) is an attractive approach in cancer management due to the non-invasive features combined with real-time imaging and selective tissue damage by non-ionizing radiation. This approach is especially appealing for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) management, where up to 40% of patients require modifications of the treatment regimen. On the other hand, most of the agents developed for PAI/PTT suffer from persistence or re-shaping issues. Here, a unique non-persistent plasmon nano-architecture (tNAs-IRDye) is presented that simultaneously acts as a contrast agent for PAI and as a photothermal transducer for PTT. The tNAs-IRDye are fully characterized and evaluated in vitro and ex vivo, and their performance as theranostic agents is assessed in HPV-negative HNSCC murine models. A significant modulation of tumor growth is obtained in vivo upon intratumoral injection of tNAs-IRDye and subsequent NIR irradiation compared to the solely irradiated control. The outcomes of this study exhibit a noteworthy potential to foster the development of innovative clinical strategies for the management of HPV-negative head and neck carcinoma.