radioactive tracer
Trackable medical isotope
A radioactive tracer is a substance containing a radioactive isotope that can be tracked through a system—biological, chemical, or mechanical—by detecting its radiation.
In medicine, tracers injected into the body reveal blood flow, organ function, or tumor locations: The PET scan uses a radioactive tracer to image brain activity.
In research, tracers follow metabolic pathways or track environmental contamination.
Metastable medical radioisotope
- iodine-131Radioactive halogen isotope
- carbon-14Radioactive isotope for dating
- tritiumHydrogen's radioactive isotope
- radionuclideDecay-prone atomic nucleus
half-life · decay · gamma rays · beta particles · positron · radioisotope · cyclotron · radiochemistry
Nuclear medicine imaging
- SPECTGamma-emitting radiotracer imaging method
- imagingProducing visual representations
- scanBrief visual sweep
- tomographyImaging via cross-sections
radiology · nuclear medicine · oncology · thyroid · tumor · radiopharmaceutical · bone scan · sentinel node
Act of finding something
- monitoringOngoing observation of something
- flowUnbroken forward movement
- migrationMovement to new territory
- dispersionScattering across space
distribution · circulation · localization · mapping · uptake · clearance · retention · accumulation
Assigning identifying markers
- radiolabelingAttaching radioactive tracers to molecules
- biomoleculeLife-produced chemical compound
- metabolismCellular nutrient conversion
- kineticsScience of motion forces
biochemistry · pharmacokinetics · assay · quantification · probe · ligand · binding · pathway
technetium-99m
Metastable medical radioisotope
- iodine-131Radioactive halogen isotope
- carbon-14Radioactive isotope for dating
- tritiumHydrogen's radioactive isotope
radionuclide · half-life · decay · gamma rays · beta particles · positron · radioisotope · cyclotron · radiochemistry · specific activity
PET
Nuclear medicine imaging
- SPECTGamma-emitting radiotracer imaging method
- imagingProducing visual representations
- scanBrief visual sweep
tomography · radiology · nuclear medicine · oncology · thyroid · tumor · radiopharmaceutical · bone scan · sentinel node · staging
detection
Act of finding something
- monitoringOngoing observation of something
- flowUnbroken forward movement
- migrationMovement to new territory
dispersion · distribution · circulation · localization · mapping · uptake · clearance · retention · accumulation · transit
labeling
Assigning identifying markers
- radiolabelingAttaching radioactive tracers to molecules
- biomoleculeLife-produced chemical compound
- metabolismCellular nutrient conversion
kinetics · biochemistry · pharmacokinetics · assay · quantification · probe · ligand · binding · pathway · experimental
- Isotope Tracersradioisotope, isotope, tritium, deuterium, carbon-14
- nuclear physicsnuclear energy, fission, nuclear fission, neutron, proton
- Probesnanoprobe, ultrasound probe, temperature probe