Detection of 19F-labeled biopharmaceuticals in cell cultures with magnetic resonance

Magnetic resonance (MR) studies of the therapeutic efficacy of fluorinated drugs have recently become possible due to improvements in detection including the application of very strong magnetic fields up to 9.4 Tesla (T). These advances allow tracking, identification, and quantification of 19F-labeled biopharmaceuticals using 19F MR imaging (19F MRI) and spectroscopy (19F MRS). Both techniques are noninvasive, are nondestructive, and enable serial measurements. They also allow for controlled and systematic studies of cellular metabolism in cancerous tissue in vivo (small animals and humans) and in vitro (body fluids, cells culture, tissue extracts and isolated tissues). Here we provide an overview of the 19F MRI and 19F MRS techniques used for tracking 19F labeled anticancer chemotherapeutics and antibodies which allow quantification of drug uptake in cancer cells in vitro.