Radiolabeled near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence dyes for optical and radio imaging

Bimodal imaging combines PET or SPECT imaging with optical imaging, allowing for a clinical application such as fluorescence-guided robotic surgery after non-invasive PET or SPECT staging. Therefore, low-molecuar-weight near-infrared dyes are synthesized and labeled with a PET or SPECT isotope (fluorine-18, technetium-99m, gallium-68). The resulting dyes should show high water solubility, near-infrared optical properties, large quantum yields and high extinction coefficients. Furthermore, the fluorescence dyes are further modified for conjugation with a tumor targeting entity, e.g. PSMA to achieve the required accumulation in the tumor tissue. The radiolabeled fluorescence dye conjugates are tested in vitro on tumor cell lines and in vivo in tumor-bearing small animals with µPET, µSPECT and optical imaging methods as well as biodistribution studies with regard to their potential application in nuclear medicine.

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