64Cu radiolabeled nanomaterials for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging

The prevalence of positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has advanced biomedical applications for its ultrahigh sensitivity, deep tissue penetration and quantitative visualization of diseases in vivo. 64Cu with ideal half-life and decay characteristics has been designed as radioactive probes for disease diagnosis. The currently reported 64Cu-labeled nanomaterials have the advantages of long circulation time in serum, good biocompatibility and mature preparation methods, and have been used in vivo PET imaging, biodistribution and pharmacokinetic monitoring, and imaging guided therapy. At the same time, suitable carrier characteristics and radiolabeling strategies are particularly important in the 64Cu PET imaging process. In this review, we summarize different imaging probe designs and 64Cu radiolabeling strategies, as well as their eventual applications in biomedicine. The potential challenges and prospects of 64Cu labeled nanomaterials are also described, which provides broad prospects for radiolabeling strategies and further applications.