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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: Pancreas. 2018 Jul;47(6):675–689. doi: 10.1097/MPA.0000000000001075

TABLE 1.

Available Molecular Imaging Ligands With an Example, and the Main Advantages and Disadvantages

Type Small Molecule Peptide Aptamer Monoclonal Antibody Protein Fragment (Diabody) Nanoparticle Microbubble
Size <0.5 kDa 0.5–2 kDa 5–15 kDa 150 kDa 55 kDa 10–100 nm 1–4 μm
Example 18F-FDG Cyclic RGD peptide [99Tc]-TTA-1 Cetuximab-IRDye800 [18F]FB-T84.66 EGFR antibody-gold nanoparticle VEGFR2-targeted microbubble
Advantage Easy escape vasculature. Easily modified. Superior selectivity. Inexpensive production. High diversity. High affinity and specificity. Superior tumor penetration. High tumor- to blood ratio. Effective delivery of signaling and therapeutic payload. Good safety, wide availability of contrast mode ultrasound scanner
Drawback Costly development. Limited size for the signaling component. Rapid degradation. Low in vivo stability. Poor membrane passage. Slow clearance. Restricted in passing biological barriers. Accumulation in kidneys. Difficult extravasation due to size. Imaging limited to molecular targeted differentially expressed on tumor vasculature