Contrast Agents for Imaging

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Contrast Agents: Methods of Preparing and Methods of Imaging Inventor Binghe Wang IP Status Patent pending GSU Case Number 2011-11 Introduction Early diagnostics for tumor metastasis in liver are highly desirable for cancer prognosis and treatment. There is a strong need to develop MRI contrast agents with high sensitivity, high safety profile, optimized blood retention time and biomarker targeting capability for tumor diagnosis. For liver metastasis, current imaging techniques can detect lesions up to 1-2 cm in size. Surgical procedures are needed to detect millimeter sized lesions. Diagnosing metastatic cancer down to 1-2 mm in size has the potential for immense improvement in cancer detection and treatment. Technology Researchers at Georgia State University have developed a novel and highly efficient class of MRI contrast agents. They designed and obtained mutated protein contrast agents with high Gd3+ binding affinity and relaxivity. These novel contrast agents have a detection limit of 2 μM, 15 times lower than clinical MRI contrast agents and require a dosage 60 times lower (0.0033 mmol/kg) than Magnevist. Using these contrast agents, liver metastasis has been detected with a tumor size less than 0.25 mm. This improvement in diagnostic accuracy and efficacy make it applicable for imaging tumor metastasis demonstrated in liver, kidney and blood vessels. Applications Imaging millimeter sized metastatic tumor lesions Cancer diagnostic Advantages Low detection limit (2 μM), tumor size less than 0.25 mM detectable Superior imaging quality, high sensitivity, less dosage, less metal toxicity, dual imaging capacity Improved accuracy and specificity of tumor detection Excellent safety profile and pharmacokinetics No observed toxicity