| abstract |
A lipid-, polymer-, and metal-based system of modified nanostructures of active biomedical and pharmaceutical agents used for in vivo (whole body/organ or tissue-specific) imaging. The modified nanostructure system involves various combinations of excipients (lipids, oils, surfactant, polymers, metals, carbon, nanotubes, etc.) in a formulation that allows a user to: (1) sustain the bioluminescent, fluorescent, or contrast signal for a longer period than conventional systems without repetitive administration (e.g., nanostructure system of luciferin), (2) target specific sites of interest (e.g., organ, tissue, receptors, proteins, etc.) for enhanced imaging of the targeted site (e.g. nanostructure system of XenoLight DIR with CREKA allows imaging of tumor vasculature), and (3) increase bioluminescent, fluorescent, or contrast signal flux. |