Development of a complementary PET/MR dual-modal imaging probe for targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)

We tried to develop a dual-modal PET/MR imaging probe using a straightforward one-pot method by encapsulation with specific amphiphiles. Iron oxide (IO) nanoparticles were encapsulated with three amphiphiles containing PEG, DOTA and PSMA-targeting ligand GUL. The diameter of the prepared nanoparticle DOTA-IO-GUL was 11.0 nm. DOTA-IO-GUL was labeled with 68Ga in high efficiency. The DOTA-IO-GUL showed a dose-dependent binding to LNCaP (PSMA +). PET/MR study showed PSMA selective uptake by 22Rv1 (PSMA +) but not PC-3 (PSMA −) in dual-tumor xenograft mouse model. MR enabled high resolution imaging and PET enabled quantification and confirmation of the specificity.95