Dual-radionuclide in vivo imaging of micro-metastasis and lymph tract with submillimetre resolution

Abstract

Multi-radionuclide in vivo imaging with submillimetre resolution can be a potent tool for biomedical research. While high-resolution radionuclide imaging faces challenges in sensitivity, multi-radionuclide imaging encounters difficulty due to radiation contamination, stemming from crosstalk between radionuclides and Compton scattering. Addressing these challenges simultaneously is imperative for multi-radionuclide high-resolution imaging. To tackle this, we developed a high-spatial-resolution and high-energy-resolution small animal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanner, named CdTe-DSD SPECT-I. We first assessed the feasibility of multi-tracer SPECT imaging of submillimetre targets. Using the CdTe-DSD SPECT-I, we performed SPECT imaging of submillimetre zeolite spheres absorbed with ¹²⁵I^- and subsequently imaged ¹²⁵I-accumulated spheroids of 200–400 µm in size within an hour, achieving clear and quantitative images. Furthermore, dual-radionuclide phantom imaging revealed a distinct image of the submillimetre sphere absorbed with ¹²⁵I^- immersed in a ^99mTc-pertechnetate solution, and provided a fair quantification of each radionuclide. Lastly, in vivo imaging was conducted on a cancer-bearing mouse with lymph node micro-metastasis using dual-tracers. The results displayed dual-tracer images of lymph tract by ^99mTc-phytic acid and the submillimetre metastatic lesion by ¹²⁵I^-, shown to align with the immunofluorescence image.