A gadolinium-complex-based theranostic prodrug for in vivo tumour-targeted magnetic resonance imaging and therapyElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: The experimental details and Fig. S1-S3. See DOI: 10.1039/c9cc01816f

Here we report a target-specific theranostic prodrug ( 1a ) containing Gd-DOTA, biotin, and camptothecin (CPT) along with a disulfide self-immolative linker. This prodrug exhibits selective targeting towards tumour cells and tissues, stimuli-responsive controlled release, enhanced anticancer efficacy, and accurate diagnosis and real-time monitoring via contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A molecular theranostic prodrug for treatment of tumour and real-time monitoring via MRI in vivo was reported.