COMPOSITION AND METHODS FOR TUMOR IMAGING AND TREATMENT

Radioisotope-labeled small molecule activity-based probes that target the cancer associated serine hydrolase neutral cholesterol ester hydrolase 1 (NCEH1) are described. The probes can undergo a reaction with the NCEH1, resulting in covalent bonding of a portion of the probe molecule to the NCEH1. Also described are methods of labeling NCEH1 in biological samples, such as cells or tissue, and methods of visualizing tumors using the radioisotope-labeled NCEH1 probes as tracer compounds, either alone or in combination with assessing the efficacy of a cancer treatment or potential cancer treatment.