1932

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents have become an important tool in clinical medicine. The most common agents are Gd3+-based complexes that shorten bulk water T by rapid exchange of a single inner-sphere water molecule with bulk solvent water. Current gadolinium agents lack tissue specificity and typically do not respond to their chemical environment. Recently, it has been demonstrated that MR contrast may be altered by an entirely different mechanism based on chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST). CEST contrast can originate from exchange of endogenous amide or hydroxyl protons or from exchangeable sites on exogenous CEST agents. This has opened the door for the discovery of new classes of responsive agents ranging from MR gene reporter molecules to small molecules that sense their tissue environment and respond to biological events.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.bioeng.9.060906.151929
2008-08-15
2024-10-15
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.bioeng.9.060906.151929
Loading
/content/journals/10.1146/annurev.bioeng.9.060906.151929
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Review Article
This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error