Techniques for molecular imaging probe design

Abstract

Molecular imaging allows clinicians to visualize disease-specific molecules, thereby providing relevant information in the diagnosis and treatment of patients. With advances in genomics and proteomics and underlying mechanisms of disease pathology, the number of targets identified has significantly outpaced the number of developed molecular imaging probes. There has been a concerted effort to bridge this gap with multidisciplinary efforts in chemistry, proteomics, physics, material science, and biology--all essential to progress in molecular imaging probe development. In this review, we discuss target selection, screening techniques, and probe optimization with the aim of developing clinically relevant molecularly targeted imaging agents.

Fig 1. Physical barriers to target

A- Target is on the surface of the endothelium and accessible from the bloodstream. B- Target is at cell surface, and is accessible from the bloodstream only if the endothelial layer is compromised. C- Target is inside the cell. Any probe binding to this target must cross both the endothelium and the cell membrane.

Fig. 2

Pool and split library synthesis scheme