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Radiolabeled exosomes for theranostics: Personalized tailored therapy through imaging
Soumya Deep Phadikar, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM), Dhanbad 826004, Jharkhand, India
Aliza Hyder, Department of Biological Sciences, Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (Hyderabad Campus), Hyderabad 500078, Telengana, India
Ramya Lakshmi Rajendran, BK21 FOUR KNU Convergence Educational Program of Bio
Ramya Lakshmi Rajendran, Chae Moon Hong, Prakash Gangadaran, Byeong-Cheol Ahn, Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, South Korea
Ramya Lakshmi Rajendran, Chae Moon Hong, Prakash Gangadaran, Byeong-Cheol Ahn, Cardiovascular Research Institute, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, South Korea
Anand Krishnan, Precision Medicine and Integrated Nano-Diagnostics (P-MIND) Research Laboratory, Department of Haematology and Cell Biology, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
Chae Moon Hong, Byeong-Cheol Ahn, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu 41944, South Korea
Co-first authors: Soumya Deep Phadikar and Aliza Hyder.
Co-corresponding authors: Prakash Gangadaran and Byeong-Cheol Ahn.
Author contributions: Phadikar SD, Hyder A, Rajendran RL, Krishnan A, Hong CM, Gangadaran P, and Ahn BC designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript, contributed to the discussion and design of the manuscript, manuscript writing and editing, illustrations, and the literature review; Phadikar SD and Hyder A contributed equally to this work and are regarded as co-first authors; Gangadaran P and Ahn BC served as co-corresponding authors and contributed equally to the supervision, critical revision, and final approval of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: An AI-based tools (Wordvice AI or ChatGPT by OpenAI, GPT-5.2, accessed June 2026) was used under author supervision in a limited manner to improve English expression, clarify structure, and adjust word count. The authors reviewed and edited the content independently and took full responsibility for the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
Corresponding author: Byeong-Cheol Ahn, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680, Gukchaebosang ro, Jung gu, Daegu 41944, South Korea. abc2000@knu.ac.kr
Received: April 27, 2026
Revised: June 10, 2026
Accepted: June 23, 2026
Published online: July 28, 2026
Processing time: 91 Days and 0.2 Hours
Revised: June 10, 2026
Accepted: June 23, 2026
Published online: July 28, 2026
Processing time: 91 Days and 0.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Radiolabeled exosomes offer a powerful theranostic platform that combines targeted drug delivery with real-time with noninvasive imaging. By enabling precise tracking of biodistribution and therapeutic response through positron emission tomography and single-photon emission computed tomography, they provide significant advantages over conventional nanocarriers. Despite challenges such as rapid systemic clearance and labeling instability, advances in radiochemistry and exosome engineering are accelerating their clinical translation toward personalized medicine.