PSMA-Targeted\nIntracellular Self-Assembled Probe for\nEnhanced PET Imaging

Positron-emission tomography (PET) offers high sensitivity\nfor\ncancer diagnosis. However, small-molecule-based probes often exhibit\ninsufficient accumulation in tumor sites, while nanoparticle-based\nagents typically have limited delivery efficiency. To address this\nchallenge, this study proposes a novel PET imaging probe, <sup>68</sup>Ga-CBT-PSMA, designed for prostate cancer. This probe integrates\nan intracellular self-assembly strategy to enhance PET imaging signals\nand significantly improve the signal-to-noise ratio. The glutamate-urea-based\nprostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-targeting motif enables\nspecific recognition of prostate cancer cells and enhances cellular\nuptake; then the self-assembly process induced by glutathione reduction\neffectively accumulates the probe within tumor cells, thereby amplifying\nPET imaging signals. This approach not only enhances signal intensity\nand resolution but also facilitates precise cancer localization and\ndiagnosis, offering new avenues for advancing cancer diagnostic techniques.