Chiwei Hung1, Yuan-Chia Kuo1,2,
Jiachen Zhuo3, Srinivasa R Raghavan2,4, Janet E. Baulch1,
Rao Gullapalli3, Mohan Suntharalingam1, Warren D.
D'souza1,2
1Department of Radiation
Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United
States; 2Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of
Maryland, College Park, MD, United States; 3Department of
Diagnostic Radiology & Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland Medical
Center, Baltimore, MD, United States; 4Department of Chemical
& Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD,
United States
A multifuctional molecular probe was investigated for the targeting and imaging of the epidermal growth factor receptors on head and neck tumor cells by combining a paramagnetic contrast agent, Gadolinium, with a monoclonal EGFR targeting antibody. Our research showed that this probe was able to target EGFR on the cancer cell and showed an increase in contrast under MR imaging. It may be used to provide the diagnostic feedback of the ongoing targeted therapy with concurrent RT.