In another embodiment, a method for detecting and/or diagnosing a cancer in a subject is provided. The method may include administering an effective dose of a biotag to a subject, or alternatively, administering an effective dose of a targeted contrast to the subject, the targeted contrast comprising a contrast agent and a biotag as described herein for targeting a cancer biomarker. The method may further include exposing the subject to a diagnostic imaging technique detecting a population of cells expressing the cancer biomarker and quantifying the expression of the cancer biomarker in the population of cells, wherein an increased expression of the cancer biomarker indicates that the subject has cancer.
