Optical imaging of Cerenkov light generation from positron-emitting radiotracers

Abstract

Radiotracers labeled with high-energy positron-emitters, such as those commonly used for positron emission tomography (PET) 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.