NANOPARTICLES FOR DUAL IMAGING: PET AND FLUORESCENCE IMAGING

Objective: Molecular imaging methods are gaining popularity in clinical and preclinical fields. There are many different imaging methods such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and Near-infrared fluorescence (NIRF), and each has different advantages and disadvantages. Multimodal imaging methods, a combination of two or more molecular imaging modalities, have been developed to overcome the disadvantages of these molecular imaging methods. However, these imaging methods are conjugated with different vectors to improve the multimodal imaging methods used. In this field, drug delivery systems, peptides, proteins, antibodies and aptamers have been widely used for conjugation of multimodal imaging modalities to overcome some of the disadvantages that come from imaging modalities. In this review, PET and NIRF combination imaging modalities were explained and more specifically PET and NIRF nanoparticle dual imaging modalities with their pros and cons were investigated. Result and Discussion: Dual imaging modalities overcome to limitations of single imaging modalities and provide a better understanding of biological, anatomical, and physiological processes. Multimodal imaging modalities offer higher sensitivity, resolution, and specificity with lower cost and toxicity although have several disadvantages.