Multifunctional nanostructured materials for multimodal imaging, and simultaneous imaging and therapy

Abstract

Nanotechnology offers tremendous potential for future biomedical technology. Due to their unique characteristics including superparamagnetic or fluorescent properties, and small size comparable to biomolecules, nanostructured materials have emerged as novel bioimaging, diagnostic, and therapeutic agents for the future medical field. Especially, the combinations of various nanostructured materials with different properties can offer synergetic multifunctional nanomedical platforms, which make it possible to accomplish multimodal imaging, and simultaneous diagnosis and therapy. Moreover, the conjugation of targeting moieties on the surface of these multifunctional nanomaterials gives them specific targeted imaging and therapeutic properties. In this tutorial review, we will summarize the recent reports on the fabrication strategies of multifunctional nanoplatforms and their applications to targeted multimodal imaging and simultaneous diagnosis and therapy.

Imaging Strategies for Tissue Engineering Applications

“…In addition to effective fusion of imaging systems, contrast agents are also essential for multimodal imaging and various types of multimodal imaging contrast agents have recently been developed. 120,121 CT/nuclear medicine is one of the most widely used multimodal imaging strategies, especially for clinical use. 32,122 PET/CT or SPECT/CT can be effectively coupled with many shared components, and it can be highly useful for tissue engineering applications because PET and SPECT can provide functional information concerning cellular and tissue function and CT provides structural information about the surrounding tissue.…”

Anti-HER2 antibody and ScFvEGFR-conjugated antifouling magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for targeting and magnetic resonance imaging of breast cancer

“…Nanomaterials are of great interest for biomedical applications as imaging probes, [1][2][3][4] phototherapy agents, 5 and drug delivery carriers. 6 Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) functionalized with biomarker targeting ligands offer promising applications as novel and more sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast enhancing agents for biomarker-specific and noninvasive detection of cancers as well as image-guided drug delivery.…”

Synthesis, Functionalization, and Design of Magnetic Nanoparticles for Theranostic Applications

“…[729] Reducing the number of separate imaging sessions, this strategy can save time and effort and provide accurate simultaneous imaging of both anatomic and molecular information. [730] Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles have gained a lot interests to serve as workhorses for fusion of MRI with other biomedical imaging modalities due to their high surface to volume and degradability (Figure 44). Specifically, SPIONs have been shown promising to enhance the contrast agents of MR imaging and they have high capability to be loaded with PET, SPECT, PAI, CT, and optical imaging modalities.…”