Conclusion
In conclusion, the authors have developed a dual-modality imaging contrast agent that used a PAMAM dendrimer to carry a PARACEST agent and a fluorescent tag. The PARACEST and fluorophore agents were each unaffected by the other agents on the dendrimer. In vivo CEST MRI detected the agent in a glioma model but not in contralateral tissue, and the specificity of the agent for the glioma was validated with in vivo and ex vivo fluorescence imaging and fluorescent microscopy. The in vivo CEST MRI showed the macroscopic location of the tumor including the hypervascular rim, while fluorescence imaging showed the microscopic location of the agent in the tissues, which demonstrated that, the dual-modality contrast agent has utility at different spatial scales.
Ethical conduct of research
The authors state that they have obtained appropriate institutional review board approval or have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.
Nanomedicine. 2012;7(12):1827-1837. © 2012 Future Medicine Ltd.
