title: MR molecular imaging of the Her-2/neu receptor in breast cancer cells using targeted iron oxide nanoparticles.
abstract: MR molecular imaging is an exciting new frontier in the biomedical applications of MR. One of the clinically relevant targets is the tyrosine kinase Her-2/neu receptor, which has a significant role in staging and treating breast cancer. In this study Her-2/neu receptors were imaged in a panel of breast cancer cells expressing different numbers of the receptors on the cell membrane. Commercially available streptavidin-conjugated superparamagnetic nanoparticles were used as targeted MR contrast agent. The nanoparticles were directed to receptors prelabeled with a biotinylated monoclonal antibody and generated strong T(2) MR contrast in Her-2/neu-expressing cells. The contrast observed in MR images was proportional to the expression level of Her-2/neu receptors determined independently with FACS analysis. In these experiments, iron oxide nanoparticles were attached to the cell surface and were not internalized into the cells, which is a major advantage for in vivo applications of the method.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.
authors.forename: Dmitri
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Artemov
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Baasil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Okollie
authors.forename: Zaver M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Bhujwalla
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D003287:Contrast Media; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D006801:Humans; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019809:Streptavidin; D000068878:Trastuzumab
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D003287:Contrast Media; D005290:Ferric Compounds; D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D019809:Streptavidin; D000068878:Trastuzumab; C000499:ferric oxide