What is the role of octreotide-functionalized ⁶⁸Ga-radiolabeled nanodiamonds in tumor targeting?

Nanodiamonds (NDs) are emerging as a novel class of nanoparticles with potential applications in biomedical imaging. They can be modified by attaching binding ligands or imaging probes to become multi-modal targeting agents. This study investigates whether functionalizing NDs with octreotide, a somatostatin analog, enhances their tumor-targeting capabilities for cancer imaging.

The study found that functionalization of ⁶⁸Ga-radiolabeled nanodiamonds with octreotide did not improve tumor-targeting capabilities compared to [⁶⁸Ga]Ga-DOTA-TOC. The highest accumulation of the radiolabeled functionalized NDs was observed in the liver and spleen, with relatively low tumor uptake. This suggests that, within the scope of this study, functionalization did not enhance the tumor-targeting capabilities of NDs.