A dye-
drug conjugate for preventing, treating, or imaging
cancer having the following structure:wherein R1 and R2 are independently selected from the group consisting of —H,
alkyl,
alkyl-sulphonate, alkylcarboxylic, alkylamino,
aryl, —SO3H, —PO3H, —OH, —NH2, and -
halogen; wherein Y1 and Y2 is independently selected from the group consisting of
alkyl,
aryl, aralkyl, alkylsulphonate, alkylcarboxylic, alkylamino, ω-alkylaminium, ω-alkynyl, PEGyl, PEGylcarboxylate, ω-PEGylaminium, ω-acyl-NH, ω-acyl-lysinyl-, ω-acyl-
triazole, ω-PEGylcarboxyl-NH—, ω-PEGylcarboxyl-lysinyl, and ω-PEGylcarboxyl-
triazole; wherein X is selected from the group consisting of a
hydrogen,
halogen, CN, Me, NH2, SH and OH; and R3 and R4 are independently a
hydrogen, a therapeutic agent, or an imaging
moiety, wherein the therapeutic agent is selected from the group consisting of a
platinum-based therapeutic agent, a
small molecule therapeutic agent,
a peptide, a
protein, a
polymer, an siRNA, a
microRNA, and a
nanoparticle, wherein the imaging is a radio-
isotope selected from the group consisting of F18, I-125, I-124 I-123, I-131, and
small molecule labeled with any of these isotopes, or wherein the imaging
moiety is a chelator-complexed radioactive
isotope, wherein the radioactive
isotope is selected from the group consisting of Cu-64, In-111, Tc-99m, Ga-68, Lu-177, Zo-89, Th-227 and Gd-157.