Trending: Radioactive and fluorescent bimodal/hybrid tracers as multiplexing solutions for surgical guidance

Abstract

By contributing to non-invasive molecular imaging and radioguided surgery, nuclear medicine has been instrumental in the realization of precision medicine. During the last decade it has also became apparent that nuclear medicine (e.g., in the form of bimodal/hybrid tracers) can help empower fluorescence guided surgery. More specifically, when using hybrid tracers, lesions can be non-invasively identified and localized with a high sensitively and precision (guided by the radioisotope) and ultimately resected under real-time optical guidance (fluorescent dye). This topical review discusses early clinical successes, preclinical directions and key aspects that could impact the future of this field.