Pretargeted imaging using bioorthogonal chemistry in mice

Abstract

Following the successful application of in vivo chemistry in chemical biology there has been growing interest in extending the application scope to non-invasive molecular imaging and therapy in living animals and eventually humans. A typical example of such an application is pretargeted radioimmuno-imaging and -therapy: the tumor targeting of a tagged antibody followed by administration and binding of a small radiolabeled probe to the tag of the tumor-bound antibody. In this review, we describe the requirements to take the step to non-invasive applications in animals, summarize recent achievements in this field, and we offer a perspective on future developments.