In vivo real-time positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) and single particle PET

TY - JOUR

T1 - In vivo real-time positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) and single particle PET

AU - Pellico Saez, Juan

AU - Vass, Laurence

AU - Minino, Amaia

AU - Man, Francis

AU - Kim, Jana

AU - Sunassee, Kavitha

AU - Parker, David

AU - Blower, Philip

AU - Marsden, Paul

AU - T. M. de Rosales, Rafael

N1 - Funding Information: The authors thank Mediso Ltd. (Medical Imaging Systems, Budapest, Hungary) for their assistance in the PET data processing used for PEPT and the Centre of Ultrastructural Imaging (CUI) at King’s College London for their assistance in the SEM imaging. This work was funded by EPSRC programme grants EP/S032789/1 (Probing Multiscale Complex Multiphase Flows with Positrons for Engineering and Biomedical Applications) and EP/R045046/1 (Next Generation Molecular Imaging and Therapy with Radionuclides). We also acknowledge support from the Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Medical Engineering (WT/203148/Z/16/Z). Radioanalytical equipment was funded by a Wellcome Trust Multiuser Equipment Grant: a multiuser radioanalytical facility for molecular imaging and radionuclide therapy research (212885/Z/18/Z). The PET/CT scanner was funded by the Medical Research Council (MR/X011992/1). The authors finally acknowledge support by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and KCL (grant number IS-BRC-1215-20006). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health. This research was funded in part by the Wellcome Trust (WT 203148/Z/16/Z) (212885/Z/18/Z). For the purpose of open access, the authors have applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. Publisher Copyright: © 2024, The Author(s).

PY - 2024/5

Y1 - 2024/5

N2 - Positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) enables 3D localization and tracking of single positron-emitting radiolabelled particles with high spatiotemporal resolution. The translation of PEPT to the biomedical imaging field has been limited due to the lack of methods to radiolabel biocompatible particles with sufficient specific activity and protocols to isolate a single particle in the sub-micrometre size range, below the threshold for capillary embolization. Here we report two key developments: the synthesis and 68Ga-radiolabelling of homogeneous silica particles of 950 nm diameter with unprecedented specific activities (2.1 ± 1.4 kBq per particle), and the isolation and manipulation of a single particle. We have combined these developments to perform in vivo PEPT and dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of a single radiolabelled sub-micrometre size particle using a pre-clinical positron emission tomography/computed tomography scanner. This work opens possibilities for quantitative assessment of haemodynamics in vivo in real time, at the whole-body level using minimal amounts of injected radioactive dose and material.

AB - Positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) enables 3D localization and tracking of single positron-emitting radiolabelled particles with high spatiotemporal resolution. The translation of PEPT to the biomedical imaging field has been limited due to the lack of methods to radiolabel biocompatible particles with sufficient specific activity and protocols to isolate a single particle in the sub-micrometre size range, below the threshold for capillary embolization. Here we report two key developments: the synthesis and 68Ga-radiolabelling of homogeneous silica particles of 950 nm diameter with unprecedented specific activities (2.1 ± 1.4 kBq per particle), and the isolation and manipulation of a single particle. We have combined these developments to perform in vivo PEPT and dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of a single radiolabelled sub-micrometre size particle using a pre-clinical positron emission tomography/computed tomography scanner. This work opens possibilities for quantitative assessment of haemodynamics in vivo in real time, at the whole-body level using minimal amounts of injected radioactive dose and material.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85182683299&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1038/s41565-023-01589-8

DO - 10.1038/s41565-023-01589-8

M3 - Article

SN - 1748-3387

VL - 19

SP - 668

EP - 676

JO - Nature Nanotechnology

JF - Nature Nanotechnology

IS - 5

ER -