Optical imaging of Cerenkov light generation from positron-emitting radiotracers.
Radiotracers labeled with high-energy positron emitters, such as those commonly used for positron emission tomography studies, emit visible light immediately following decay in a medium. This phenomenon, not previously described for these imaging tracers, is consistent with Cerenkov radiation and has several potential applications, especially for in vivo molecular imaging studies. Herein we detail a new molecular imaging tool, Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging, the experiments conducted that support our interpretation of the source of the signal, and proof-of-concept in vivo studies that set the foundation for future application of this new method.
Robertson
R
R
Department of Imaging Sciences, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Germanos
M S
MS
Li
C
C
Mitchell
G S
GS
Cherry
S R
SR
Silva
M D
MD
D000818:Animals; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D004583:Electrons; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D008163:Luminescent Measurements / Q000379:methods*; D051379:Mice; D049268:Positron-Emission Tomography; D011849:Radioactive Tracers; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
D011849:Radioactive Tracers; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18