Molecular imaging (MI) is a powerful tool that probes the function of living systems, enabling non-invasive determination of physiological changes that occur during the onset and progression of disease. Novel MI probes are of paramount importance for elucidating the molecular origin of illness. This project merged state-of-the-art microfluidics with radiochemistry to provide radiolabeled peptide nucleic acid (PNA) chimeras for in vivo imaging of mRNA expression.

The project determined that PNA radiolabelled with the radioisotope fluorine-18 was inadequate for accumulation within tumors in vivo. However, in preliminary studies by the team, PNA linked to the radioisotope gallium-67 showed promise as a radiotracer amenable for use in MI. Future studies are planned by the project to study the use of gallium-18 further.