Progression of antisense oligonucleotides for non-invasive imaging in vivo

Antisense imaging is widely used as a novel method to assess gene expression by nucleic acid hybridization with anisense oligonucleotide labelled by radionucide in vivo, with advantages of easy controlling for synthesis, high reliability and low immunogenicity. The requirements for ideal antisense imaging include easy intakeing by cells, convenient labelling, stable hybridization and the tolerance against nuclease. The progression in antisense imaging, such as the transfer of antisense RN A mediated by liposomes or receptor, chemical modification of antisense oligonucleotide and the improvement of labelling, will greatly improve the clinical application of antisense imaging.