Contrast Agent
Radiochemistry
I.18F-FDG for MicroPET
18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-glucose (18F-FDG) is by far the most widely used radiopharmaceutical for PET imaging.
II. Fenestra for Micro CT Imaging
The Fenestra line products (ART, Inc., Canada) can achieve soft tissue or vascular contrast from a single administration that facilitates anatomical delineation of numerous structures. Fenestra LC provides visualization of the entire hepatobiliary system by exploiting the endogenous lipid metabolism pathways present in the body. Fenestra VC is a refined version of Fenestra LC, in which the surface of the lipid emulsion particle is modified to slow the recognition of the particle by the receptors on hepatocytes that are responsible for its uptake into the liver. liver. Reference link: https://www.medilumine.com/fenestra/
III. Optical Imaging
VisEn Medical: Activatable agents alter their fluorescence profiles in vivo to provide molecular and functional information in real time. Targeted agents pinpoint specific areas of interest. Vascular agents enable the monitoring of blood vessels and observation of phenomena such as blood leakage in tumors or inflamed regions and angiogenesis.
Reference link: http://www.perkinelmer.com/
Caliper Life Sciences: They provide users with light producing animal models, light producing cells & microorganisms, bioluminescent substrates (Luciferins) and fluorescent labeling kits. XenoFluor fluorescent labeling kits provide a flexible solution for labeling proteins, peptides or antibodies, available in a 680 nm or 750 nm dye formulation. Reference link: http://www.caliperls.com/products/reagents/bioluminescent/fluorescence-labeling-kits/
IV. Custom Synthesis
The UofL In Vivo Molecular Imaging Core has been developing radiolabeling techniques suitable for tagging Cu-64 to oligonucleotides, peptides and proteins for PET imaging. The core is also equipped with an automated microfluidic radiochemistry module that is capable of synthesizing F-18 labeled radiopharmaceuticals. We are in the process of working on an extensive list of compounds such as FLT (cell proliferation), FMISO (hypoxia), FDDNP (Alzheimer’s disease), and FHBG (reporter gene expression). We are also focused on developing promising contrast agents for CT and MRI imaging using the nanoparticles.