Figure 1: Targeting fibrin–fibronectin complexes for molecular MRI of breast cancer micrometastases.
From: MRI detection of breast cancer micrometastases with a fibronectin-targeting contrast agent
(a) Cancer cells from the primary tumour invade into distant organs through epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and transmit signals to prepare ‘soil’ of ‘pre-metastatic niche’ for metastases. The expression of fibronectin and its associated complexes, such as the fibrin–fibronectin complex, is upregulated by TGF-β. (b) The abundant fibrin–fibronectin complexes in the tumour ECM allow the binding of enough CREKA-Tris(Gd-DOTA)3 to the ECM marker so as to generate sufficient signal enhancement for effective molecular MRI of small high-risk breast cancer and micrometastases.
