Abstract
Radiotracers labeled with high-energy positron emitters, such as those commonly used for positron emission tomography studies, emit visible light immediately following decay in a medium. This phenomenon, not previously described for these imaging tracers, is consistent with Cerenkov radiation and has several potential applications, especially for in vivo molecular imaging studies. Herein we detail a new molecular imaging tool, Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging, the experiments conducted that support our interpretation of the source of the signal, and proof-of-concept in vivo studies that set the foundation for future application of this new method.
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General scientific summary. In this work, we studied high-energy positron-emitting isotopes, such as those commonly used for positron emission tomography (PET) studies, and observed that these radioisotopes also produce visible spectrum light during decay. This finding, consistent with Cerenkov radiation, is a novel discovery for these agents. Importantly, the light is detectable with commonly available optical imaging equipment and forms the basis for a new molecular imaging method, Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging. The paper demonstrates the theoretical basis for light production in high-energy isotopes as well as results from in vivo optical imaging studies in mice compared to traditional PET scans.