Radioactive Tracer
Radioactive Tracer - Related Videos
10:40
Fabricating and Labeling Microbubbles with Fluorescent and Radioactive Tracers
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Cited by 1 •
2025
This protocol outlines the fabrication of lipid microbubbles and a compatible one-pot microbubble radiolabeling method with purification-free >95% labeling efficiency that conserves microbubble physicochemical properties. This method is effective across diverse lipid microbubble formulations and can be tailored to generate radioactive and/or fluorescent microbubbles.
13:14
Measuring Fluxes of Mineral Nutrients and Toxicants in Plants with Radioactive Tracers
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Cited by 9 •
2014
In planta measurement of nutrient and toxicant fluxes is essential to the study of plant nutrition and toxicity. Here, we cover radiotracer protocols for influx and efflux determination in intact plant roots, using potassium (K+) and ammonia/ammonium (NH3/NH4+) fluxes as examples. Advantages and limitations of such techniques are discussed.
03:18
Radioactivity and Nuclear Equations
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2020
Nuclear chemistry is the study of reactions that involve changes in nuclear structure. The nucleus of an atom is composed of protons and, except for hydrogen, neutrons. The number of protons in the nucleus is called the atomic number (Z) of the element, and the sum of the number of protons and the number of neutrons is the mass number (A). Atoms with the same atomic number but different mass numbers are isotopes of the same element. A nuclide of an element has a specific number of protons and...
02:48
Radioactive Decay and Radiometric Dating
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2020
Radioactivity is a spontaneous disintegration of an unstable nuclide and is a random process, as all the nuclei in the sample do not decay simultaneously. The number of disintegrations per unit time is called the activity (A), which is directly proportional to the number of nuclei in the sample. The decay constant (λ) is an average probability of decay per nucleus in unit time. The SI unit for activity is the becquerel, which is one disintegration per second. Another unit of activity is the...
![Automated Radiochemical Synthesis of [<sup>18</sup>F]3F4AP: A Novel PET Tracer for Imaging Demyelinating Diseases](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcloudfront.jove.com%2FCDNSource%2Fteasers%2F55537.jpg%3Fv%3D2026-09-28%252016%253A08%253A49&w=750&q=75)
11:03
Automated Radiochemical Synthesis of [18F]3F4AP: A Novel PET Tracer for Imaging Demyelinating Diseases
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Cited by 6 •
2017
We demonstrate the semi-automated radiochemical synthesis of [18F]3F4AP and quality control procedures.
FAQs
The isotope’s radioactive decay produces detectable radiation that serves as a signal for following a labeled substance. Scientists can use that signal to determine where the substance moves, how it changes, or where it accumulates across metabolic pathways, cells, tissues, or whole organisms. This makes otherwise difficult biological transport and transformation processes experimentally observable.
A tracer must continue behaving substantially like the compound it represents so that its movement reflects the biological process under study. If labeling greatly changed the molecule, researchers could mistake altered behavior for normal transport or metabolism. Preserving chemical behavior therefore strengthens conclusions about nutrient uptake, molecular pathways, signaling, or drug handling.
Measuring emitted radiation provides a way to detect and quantify tracer-related signals, whereas autoradiography creates a map showing where the tracer is located. The first approach emphasizes measurable radiation output, while the second emphasizes spatial distribution. Together, these approaches can connect the amount of tracer detected with its location in biological samples.
Radioactive tracer experiments provide quantitative evidence rather than relying only on visible changes or indirect observations. Detectable radiation allows researchers to follow molecular movement and transformation through biological systems, while location-based imaging can reveal distribution. These measurements help relate tracer behavior to physiological processes occurring in cells, tissues, organisms, or metabolic pathways.
A typical study applies a compound containing the selected radioisotope to the biological system, allows the relevant process to occur, and then detects the emitted radiation or maps tracer placement with autoradiography. Researchers interpret the resulting signal or distribution to assess movement, transformation, or accumulation in the system being examined.
Applications include tracking DNA synthesis, measuring nutrient uptake, examining cell signaling, and following drug metabolism. In each case, the tracer supplies evidence about where a substance goes or how it changes during a biological process. This supports investigation of molecular transport and physiological activity across different levels of biological organization.
The same tracking principle can be used at several biological scales. Signals may reveal molecular movement within cells, distribution through tissues, or transport and transformation throughout an organism. Researchers select the scale that matches the question, then use radiation measurements or autoradiography to connect tracer location with the process being investigated.