Abstract
The development of integrated positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners opened a new scenario for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. Multimodal imaging combines functional and morphological information from different modalities, which, singularly, cannot provide a comprehensive pathophysiological overview. Molecular imaging exploits multimodal imaging in order to obtain information at a biological and cellular level; in this way, it is possible to track biological pathways and discover many typical tumoral features. In this context, nanoparticle-based contrast agents (CAs) can improve probe biocompatibility and biodistribution, prolonging blood half-life to achieve specific target accumulation and non-toxicity. In addition, CAs can be simultaneously delivered with drugs or, in general, therapeutic agents gathering a dual diagnostic and therapeutic effect in order to perform cancer diagnosis and treatment simultaneous. The way for personalized medicine is not so far. Herein, we report principles, characteristics, applications, and concerns of nanoparticle (NP)-based PET/MRI CAs.
Highlights
The growing technological development improved diagnostic imaging techniques allowing early disease detection and diagnosis [1,2,3,4]
Even if different imaging modalities are extensively used in clinical practice such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), single-photon emission tomography (SPECT), each one presents strong points and limits
In Tubingen, Germany, an MRI-compatible PET scanner was inserted into a 3T clinical MRI scanner [8]; this system is suitable for preclinical studies or human brain imaging
Summary
The growing technological development improved diagnostic imaging techniques allowing early disease detection and diagnosis [1,2,3,4]. The first PET/CT scanner was developed in 1998 by Townsend and colleagues [12] and was commercialized in 2001 It consists of a PET component independent from CT, and a single bed moves axially into the scanner while the patient sequentially performs. In Tubingen, Germany, an MRI-compatible PET scanner was inserted into a 3T clinical MRI scanner [8]; this system is suitable for preclinical studies or human brain imaging. Molecular imaging involves administration of imaging probes and detection of signals produced from the probes [26] and plays a key role in understanding important pathophysiological principles of diseases In this context, personalized medicine aims to identify the adequate treatment and control its therapeutic efficacy. A few of them were broadly tested in preclinical studies and show promising results in tumor detection, staging, and grading
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