Improved Manufacturing Processes for Advanced Imaging Ag

描述（由申请人提供）：内嵌金属富勒烯是球形富勒烯碳笼，其内部空间限制一个或多个金属原子。利用金属富勒烯的特殊性质在不同领域的生物医学应用前景广阔，包括诊断和成像剂（磁共振成像造影剂、x射线造影剂、放射性示踪剂）、治疗性核医学、抗氧化剂和生物传感器。在我们开发含Gd的内质金属富勒烯作为顺核磁共振造影剂的过程中，我们已经认识到需要扩大可用的原材料，而不仅仅是可溶性Gd@C82金属富勒烯，它只占碳弧工艺生产的可升华Gd金属富勒烯的4%左右。我们建议将金属富勒烯生产和后处理领域的新进展结合起来，既可以提高金属富勒烯的产量，又可以分离和纯化目前工艺无法获得的绝大多数Gd内质物。基于化学氧化还原策略的分离处理将使我们能够利用所有可用的Gd金属富勒烯，根据它们的物理和化学性质将它们区分为不同的类别。将对获得的Gd金属富勒烯馏分进行仔细的分析评价，首次允许与其他工艺进行评价和比较。这些进步将有利于金属富勒烯MRI造影剂应用的发展，因为它创造了一种方法，可以在将生产的金属富勒烯混合物分离成有用的、均匀的组分的同时，产生更多的原料。总之，该项目将改进制造和纯化新材料的工艺，这些新材料是一种新型有用药物的主要成分。这些可以帮助改进用于检测疾病的核磁共振扫描，也可能对其他医学治疗和应用有用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Endohedral metallofullerenes are spherical fullerene carbon cages confining one or more metal atoms in their interior spaces. Biomedical applications exploiting special properties of metallofullerenes in different areas are promising, including diagnostic and imaging agents (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents, X-ray contrast agents, radiotracers), therapeutic nuclear medicine, antioxidants and biosensors. In our development of Gd-containing endohedral metallofullerenes as paramagentic MRI contrast agents, we have recognized the need for expanding the available raw materials beyond just the soluble Gd@C82 metallofullerenes, which comprise only about 4% of the sublimable Gd metallofullerenes produced by the carbon arc process. We propose to combine new advances in the areas of metallofullerene production and post-production processing to both increase the yield of generated metallofullerenes and to separate and purify the large majority of Gd endohedrals that the current processes can not access. Separative processing based on a chemical redox strategy will allow us to utilize all of the available Gd metallofullerenes by differentiating them into different classes based on their physical and chemical properties. Careful analytical evaluation of the obtained Gd metallofullerene fractions will be performed, allowing evaluation and comparison to other processes for the first time. These advances will benefit the development of MRI contrast applications with metallofullerenes by creating means to generate more raw material while separating the mixture of produced metallofullerenes into useful, homogeneous fractions. In summary, this project will improve processes for manufacture and purification of new materials that are the main ingredient in a new type of useful drug. These can help improve MRI scans used for detecting diseases and are also potentially useful for other medical treatments and applications.