Targeted In Vivo Imaging of Microscopic Tumors with Ferritin‐based Nanoprobes Across Biological Barriers

Abstract

The avascular microscopic breast and brain tumors (<1-2 mm diameter) can be noninvasively detected by designing human heavy-chain ferritin (HFn)-based nanoparticles as molecular probes for near-infrared fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging. The intravenously injected HFn-based nano-particles (Cy5.5-HFn and M-HFn) can cross the endothelium, epithelium, and blood-brain barriers and be internalized into tumor cells.