Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have unique properties which make them suitable for applications in a variety of imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance, near-infrared fluorescence, Raman spectroscopy, photoacoustic tomography, and radionuclide-based imaging.
This 4T1-PB-2R/PBase cancer cell lines were subsequently used for fluorescence- and radionuclide-based imaging in vivo.
The piggyBac transposon system was used to stably introduce the dual reporter genes, including monomeric red fluorescent protein (mRFP) and herpes simplex virus type-1 thymidine kinase (HSV1-tk) genes for fluorescence-based and radionuclide-based imaging of tumor growth in small animals, respectively.
The fluorescence- and radionuclide-based imaging using the single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography revealed that the number of living cells reached the maximum at 1 week after implantation of 4T1 tumors, and gradually decreased and clustered near the side of the body until 4 weeks accompanied by enlargement of tumor mass.
Small molecules have been developed to target PSMA selectively for imaging with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), positron emission tomography (PET), and optical imaging with several radionuclide-based agents proceeding to clinical trials.
Among all the diagnostic imaging methods, radionuclide-based positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has its unique advantages of high sensitivity and the ability to conduct quantitative analysis of whole-body images.
Cu (a positron emitter) combines all three modes of decay: electron capture (41%), beta− (40%) and beta+ (19%) making it a useful radionuclide for both imaging and therapy.
PET, SPECT, and other radionuclide-based imaging methods have been extensively used in biomedical and clinical fields due to their excellent features of high sensitivity, easy quantitation, and strong penetration through tissue [7 10].
As the key regulatory systems in angiogenesis of gliomas, VEGF and VEGF receptors are targeted mainly in radionuclide-based imaging and recently assessed by a molecular MR imaging probe, anti-VEGF receptor-2 monoclonal antibody conjugated with a gadolinium-based contrast agent, in a rat C6 glioma model by He et al. [ 91].
While luciferase expression and bioluminescence imaging cannot be used in humans, our data provide proof-of-concept that CRAd vectors modified to include high-sensitivity imaging systems like the radionuclide-based somatostatin receptor (SSTR) or human sodium iodide symporter (hNIS) transgenes may improve the outcome of human gene therapy protocols.
