Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42353033›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of molecular sciences2026

Radiolabeled Antimicrobials for Infection Imaging: A Scoping Review.

Sichen Liu, James Townley, Chuen-Yen Lau

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of molecular sciences, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Sichen LiuLaboratory of Clinical Immunology and Microbiology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
James TownleyAlice L Walton School of Medicine, Bentonville, AR 72712, USA.ORCID 0009-0004-4919-4456
Chuen-Yen LauHIV Dynamics and Replication Program, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4337-8885

Funding

National Institutes of Health Clinical Center Z99 CL090055
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Imaging of infections has the potential to improve clinical outcomes, but pathogen-specific imaging strategies are currently unavailable. Given their target specificity, antimicrobials may be useful as molecular imaging ligands to target infections. Despite substantial development efforts, no antimicrobial-based ligands are approved for clinical use. This scoping review comprehensively surveys radiolabeled antimicrobials across antibacterial, antimycobacterial, antiviral, and antifungal drug classes, examining their progression through the translational pipeline. The review utilized PubMed and Google Scholar databases (1970-2025), following PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts, and full-text articles; data were extracted, and content duplicates were removed. In total, 143 preclinical and 25 clinical articles met the selection criteria. In clinical studies, most tracers showed suboptimal specificity for infections, while some proved useful for pharmacokinetic characterization. Among preclinical studies, radiolabeled plazomicin and echinocandins (caspofungin and anidulafungin) exhibited the greatest number of preferred characteristics. In conclusion, ideal antimicrobial pharmacologic properties can be counterproductive for imaging, where rapid background clearance and a high target-to-non-target ratio (T/NT) are essential. Many radioligands demonstrate good tissue penetration but suboptimal washout, limiting their diagnostic value.

Indexed as

Anti-Infective AgentsMolecular ImagingRadiopharmaceuticalsAnimalsAntifungal AgentsHumansAntifungal AgentsAnti-Infective AgentsRadiopharmaceuticalsinfection imaginginfectious disease diagnosticsin vivo PET imagingPET imagingradiolabeled antimicrobials

Identifiers

PMID42353033
PMCPMC13299976

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.