title: Molecular Imaging of Immunotherapy Targets in Cancer.
abstract: Immunotherapy has emerged as a promising alternative in the arsenal against cancer by harnessing the power of the immune system to specifically target malignant tissues. As the field of immunotherapy continues to expand, researchers will require newer methods for studying the interactions between the immune system, tumor cells, and immunotherapy agents. Recently, several noninvasive imaging strategies have been used to map the biodistribution of immune checkpoint molecules, monitor the efficacy and potential toxicities of the treatments, and identify patients who are likely to benefit from immunotherapies. In this review, we outline the current applications of noninvasive techniques for the preclinical imaging of immunotherapy targets and suggest future pathways for molecular imaging to contribute to this developing field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Emily B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Ehlerding
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Christopher G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: England
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, Wisconsin; and.
authors.forename: Douglas G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: McNeel
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Madison, Wisconsin; and Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin wcai@uwhealth.org.
authors.forename: Weibo
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*
keywords: CTLA-4; PD-1; PD-L1; immune checkpoints; immunotherapy; positron emission tomography (PET)