A technology that visualizes tumor stem cells with clinically relevant tracers could have a broad impact on cancer diagnosis and treatment. The AC133 epitope of CD133 currently is one of the best-characterized tumor stem cell markers for many intra- and extracranial tumor entities. Here we demonstrate the successful noninvasive detection of AC133(+) tumor stem cells by PET and near-infrared fluorescence molecular tomography in subcutaneous and orthotopic glioma xenografts using antibody-based tracers. Particularly, microPET with (64)Cu-NOTA-AC133 mAb yielded high-quality images with outstanding tumor-to-background contrast, clearly delineating subcutaneous tumor stem cell-derived xenografts from surrounding tissues. Intracerebral tumors as small as 2-3 mm also were clearly discernible, and the microPET images reflected the invasive growth pattern of orthotopic cancer stem cell-derived tumors with low density of AC133(+) cells. These data provide a basis for further preclinical and clinical use of the developed tracers for high-sensitivity and high-resolution monitoring of AC133(+) tumor stem cells.
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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3926065 | PMC |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1314189111 | DOI Listing |
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