New dual-imaging nanoparticles combine MRI and CT in single scan
Researchers have engineered nanoparticles that work as contrast agents for both MRI and CT imaging simultaneously, potentially reducing scan time and radiation exposure in clinical diagnostics. The advance combines gadolinium's MRI capabilities with cerium oxide's biocompatibility, opening commercial pathways for simplified imaging protocols and faster patient diagnosis.
Originaltitel: Functionalized Nanoparticles for Targeted Biomedical Imaging and Sensing
A nanoparticle is defined as a particle which is less than 100 nm at least in one dimension.Nanotechnology enables the integration of entities with complementary or tailored properties into a single functional unit.In this thesis, we demonstrate how nanoprobes can be rationally designed to target and image biomedical structures and sense intracellular pH.Cerium is biocompatible element and cerium oxide (CeOx) nanoparticles are widely used in biomedical applications; however, they do not inherently generate a magnetic resonance (MR) signal.Gadolinium provides excellent contrast in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and is extensively used in clinical practice.Both cerium and gadolinium-based materials can also provide contrast in computed tomography (CT).In this work, we aim to develop the next-generation dual-mode contrast agents for combined MRI and CT imaging by incorporating gadolinium into the cerium oxide lattice.In paper I we focus on the nanoparticle core and provide thorough characterization of a cerium oxide nanoparticle doped with gadolinium.We synthesized cerium oxide nanoparticles containing 5-20% gadolinium within the crystal lattice and evaluated their ability to enhance MRI contrast via relaxivity measurements.The resulting nanoparticles exhibit higher relaxivity than commercially used contrast agents.