title: Targeted nanotechnology for cancer imaging.
abstract: Targeted nanoparticle imaging agents provide many benefits and new opportunities to facilitate accurate diagnosis of cancer and significantly impact patient outcome. Due to the highly engineerable nature of nanotechnology, targeted nanoparticles exhibit significant advantages including increased contrast sensitivity, binding avidity and targeting specificity. Considering the various nanoparticle designs and their adjustable ability to target a specific site and generate detectable signals, nanoparticles can be optimally designed in terms of biophysical interactions (i.e., intravascular and interstitial transport) and biochemical interactions (i.e., targeting avidity towards cancer-related biomarkers) for site-specific detection of very distinct microenvironments. This review seeks to illustrate that the design of a nanoparticle dictates its in vivo journey and targeting of hard-to-reach cancer sites, facilitating early and accurate diagnosis and interrogation of the most aggressive forms of cancer. We will report various targeted nanoparticles for cancer imaging using X-ray computed tomography, ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, nuclear imaging and optical imaging. Finally, to realize the full potential of targeted nanotechnology for cancer imaging, we will describe the challenges and opportunities for the clinical translation and widespread adaptation of targeted nanoparticles imaging agents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Case Center for Imaging Research, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Randall
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Toy
authors.affiliation: Case Center for Imaging Research, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Department of Physics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.affiliation: Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hoimes
authors.affiliation: Edward B. Singleton Department of Pediatric Radiology, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA; Department of Radiology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Ketan B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Ghaghada
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Case Center for Imaging Research, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA; Department of Radiology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. Electronic address: stathis@case.edu.
authors.forename: Efstathios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karathanasis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media
keywords: CT; Cancer imaging; MRI; Optical imaging; PET; SPECT; Targeted nanoparticles; Ultrasound