New MRI Contrast Agent is Developed

South Korean scientists have developed a magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent using manganese oxide nanoparticles.

The researchers — led by Taeghwan Hyeon at Seoul National University and Jung Hee Lee at the Samsung Medical Center — note conventional gadolinium complexes used as MRI contrast agents cannot reveal anatomic structures. But the newly developed nanoparticles produced images of the anatomic structures of mouse brains that are as clear as those obtained by histological examination.

We have developed the first truly biocompatible MRI contrast agent for anatomical brain imaging, Lee and Hyeon said, adding they hope the new contrast agent will allow better research and diagnosis of brain diseases involving the central nervous system, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, strokes and tumors.

Furthermore, the researchers said they were able to attach antibodies to the manganese oxide nanoparticles so they 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.

The scientists said the same principle should allow other disease-related changes or physiological systems to be visualized by using the appropriate antibodies.

The study appears in the journal Angewandte Chemie.