Recent Advances in the Probe Development of Technetium-99m Molecular Imaging Agents

The development of technetium based diagnostic imaging agents continues to remain a high impact area in nuclear medicine research. In particular, the single photon emitting radionuclide 99mTc comprises the majority of diagnostic imaging scans performed daily at hospitals and clinics. While research with 99mTc has been active for several decades, this review focuses on the overview of recent developments and current trends surrounding 99mTc applications. Discussion includes the fundamental design of 99mTc complexes, new labeling methodologies, and development of molecular probes for the next generation of in vivo diagnostic imaging agents.