IRDye 800CW 2-DG (2-deoxyglucose) is a fluorescent optical imaging agent that has been shown to be reactive with implanted tumors derived from many cell lines including A431, SW620, 3T3-L1, and PC3LMN4. This optical imaging agent has been used for numerous applications, including research pertaining to tumor biology, tumor metastases, diabetes, and arthritis.Cancer cells are often characterized by a high metabolic rate exemplified by an elevated rate of glycolysis. This observation forms the basis for positron emission tomography (PET) using glucose analogues such as 18F-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18FDG) to visualize primary tumors and their metastasis. Radiolabeled 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) is generally impractical for use in small animal studies of cancer biology. Fluorophore-labeled variants of 2-deoxy-D-glucose have been used with varying degrees of success.