FromIn VivoUltrasound and MRI Imaging to Therapy: Contrast Agents Based on Target-Specific Nanoparticles

Molecular imaging utilizes a novel toolset to enable and expand the role of noninvasive diagnostic imaging from the realm of gross anatomical description to the identification of specific tissue epitopes and observation of biological processes at the cellular level. Until recently, this approach was confined to the field of nuclear imaging; however, advances in nanotechnology have extended this research to include imaging modalities such as ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. The application of nanotechnology to magnetic resonance and ultrasound molecular imaging has generated several candidate contrast agents. One multimodality platform – targeted perfluorocarbon nanoparticles – is useful for noninvasive detection with all three imaging modalities, and may additionally be used for local drug delivery. Keywords: molecular imaging; nanoparticle; perfluorocarbon; ultrasound; MRI