A Review on Development of Rare Earth Based Contrast Agents for Dual Modal Imaging of Cancer Cells

Abstract

The risk of developing cancer is becoming higher due to the genetic and environmental factors. Diagnosing cancer at an early stage is a very big challenge to clinicians and researchers. Several imaging modalities are being used in hospitals for diagnostic purposes. But each imaging modality has some limitations to identify the cancer cells at their early stage. Magnetic resonance imaging can be combined with optical imaging for better diagnosis of cancer. This concept of combining two imaging modalities is termed as ‘dual modal imaging’. In dual modal imaging, the limitation of one technique becomes the advantage of other. This review article focuses on the dual modal imaging which is achieved by using rare earth doped gadolinium oxide nanoparticles. By doping the rare earth ions into the gadolinium oxide matrix, both the optical and magnetic properties of the material are shared.