Magnetic resonance imaging is a very effective method for revealing anatomical details of soft tissues. Contrast agents can help to make these images even clearer and allow physiological processes to be followed in real time. Conventional gadolinium complexes currently used as MRI contrast agent cannot reveal anatomic structures.
As reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie, Korean researchers led by Jung Hee Lee at Samsung Medical Center and Taeghwan Hyeon at Seoul National University have now developed a new MRI contrast agent using manganese oxide nanoparticles that produces images of the anatomic structures of mouse brain which are as clear as those obtained by histological examination .
Magnetic resonance images after injection of the manganese oxide nanoparticles gave a view into different areas of the mouse brains—in excellent resolution. “We have developed the first truly biocompatible MRI contrast agent for anatomical brain imaging,” Lee and Hyeon point out. “With this agent, we are able to get high-contrast views of the anatomical details of live mouse brain.” The researchers hope that their new contrast agent will allow better research and diagnosis of brain diseases involving the CNS (central nervous system), such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, strokes, and tumors.
Furthermore, the Korean team was able to attach antibodies to the manganese oxide nanoparticles. These antibodies recognize and specifically bind to receptors on the surface of breast cancer cells. In mouse brains with breast cancer metastases, the tumors were clearly highlighted by the antibody-coupled contrast agent. The same principle should allow other disease-related changes or physiological systems to be visualized by using the appropriate antibodies.
Source: Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Related stories:
Tiny 3-D ultrasound probe guides catheter procedures
An ultrasound probe small enough to ride along at the tip of a catheter can provide physicians with clearer real-time images of soft tissue without the risks associated with conventional x-ray catheter guidance.
Nanomaterials Key to New Strategies for Blocking Metastasis
A new treatment strategy using targeted nanoparticles to block metastasis with anti-cancer drugs leads to good results using significantly lower doses of toxic chemotherapy, with less collateral damage to surrounding tissue, according to a collaborative team of researchers at the Center of Nanotechnology for Treatment, Understanding, and Monitoring of Cancer at the University of California, San Diego. In designing this system, the investigators, led by David Cheresh, Ph.D., have identified what may become a generic method for using nanotechnology to target metastasis.
Salutary pizza spice
Oregano doesn´t only give a Pizza its typical taste. Researchers at Bonn University and the ETH Zürich have discovered that this spice also contains a substance which, amongst other qualities, appears to help cure inflammations. The researchers administered its active ingredient – known as beta-caryophyllin (E-BCP) - to mice with inflamed paws. In seven out of ten cases there was a subsequent improvement in the symptoms. E-BCP might possibly be of use against disorders such as osteoporosis and arteriosclerosis. The study has appeared on Monday, 23rd June in the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Chemists Create Cancer-Detecting Nanoparticles
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be a doctor’s best friend for detecting a tumor in the body without resorting to surgery. MRI scans use pulses of magnetic waves and gauge the return signals to identify different types of tissue in the body, distinguishing bone from muscle, fluids from solids, and so on.
Chikungunya virus and maternal infection
Chikungunya virus, an infectious agent transmitted by mosquitoes, appears seldom to harm infants of mothers infected early in pregnancy, but can frequently cause serious problems, including lasting brain injury, in babies born to mothers who acquire the virus near the time of delivery, according to a study in
PLoS Medicine.
Potential brain cancer drug for children may damage bones
A novel drug that fully eliminated brain tumors from mice in a dramatic 2004 study has shown a darker side—causing permanent bone damage in younger mice. The researcher who conducted both studies says the disappointing new finding raises concerns about using similar drugs to treat children’s cancers, at least until there is a more thorough understanding of possible risks.
Nanotechnology Advances Brain Cancer Detection and Therapy
Brain cancer is one of the most aggressive and lethal of malignancies, made even more difficult to treat by the fact that most anticancer drugs have a hard time even getting to the tumors. Now, studies by three different groups of researchers show that targeted nanoparticles hold promise for solving this delivery problem.
High blood pressure may heighten effects of Alzheimer's disease
Having hypertension, or high blood pressure, reduces blood flow in the brains of adults with Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).