AUTHOR=Zhang Tianqi , Deng Mo , Zhang Lei , Liu Zerun , Liu Yang , Song Shuyan , Gong Tingting , Yuan Qinghai 

TITLE=Facile Synthesis of Holmium-Based Nanoparticles as a CT and MRI Dual-Modal Imaging for Cancer Diagnosis

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2021.741383

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2021.741383

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<p>The rapid development of medical imaging has boosted the abilities of modern medicine. As single modality imaging limits complex cancer diagnostics, dual-modal imaging has come into the spotlight in clinical settings. The rare earth element Holmium (Ho) has intrinsic paramagnetism and great X-ray attenuation due to its high atomic number. These features endow Ho with good potential to be a nanoprobe in combined x-ray computed tomography (CT) and T<sub>2</sub>-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Herein, we present a facile strategy for preparing HoF<sub>3</sub> nanoparticles (HoF<sub>3</sub> NPs) with modification by PEG 4000. The functional PEG-HoF<sub>3</sub> NPs have good water solubility, low cytotoxicity, and biocompatibility as a dual-modal contrast agent. Currently, there is limited systematic and intensive investigation of Ho-based nanomaterials for dual-modal imaging. Our PEG-HoF<sub>3</sub> NPs provide a new direction to realize <italic>in vitro</italic> and <italic>vivo</italic> CT/MRI imaging, as well as validation of Ho-based nanomaterials will verify their potential for biomedical applications.</p>