SBIR/STTR PHASE I: NMR Properties of Carbon Nanomaterials for Medical Applications

这个小企业技术转移一期项目将开发新型三金属氮化模板内嵌富勒烯（tnt）材料，用于磁共振成像（MRI）的造影剂。tnt提供了重要的诊断和治疗可能性，目前已有足够的研究数量。现在也有化学官能化反应来溶解tnt。tnt为目前的MRI造影剂提供了令人兴奋的替代方案。tnt提供了将各种顺磁性金属囊化到C80富勒烯笼中的灵活性。由于几种金属是顺磁性的，因此平衡材料成本和作为MRI造影剂的效率的生产优化计划是该项目的主要重点。TNT造影剂的发展有望带来更小的患者剂量，增加T1松弛率和提高产品安全性。该项目的商业应用是在MRI成像市场的造影剂部分。如果成功，该项目将大大扩大MRI的能力和使用，并有可能每年开发约7亿美元的新业务。

This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project will develop novel trimetallic nitride template endohedral fullerene (TNTs) materials for use as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). TNTs, which offer significant diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities, are now available in sufficient research quantities. Chemical functionalization reactions to solubilize the TNTs are also now available. TNTs offer an exciting alternative to current MRI contrast agents. TNTs offer the flexibility of excapsulating a variety of paramagnetic metals into the C80 fullerene cage. As several of the metals are paramagnetic, a production optimization plan balancing cost of materials versus efficiency as an MRI contrast agent is a primary focus of this project. The development of TNT based contrast agents is expected to lead to smaller patient doses, increased T1 relaxation rates and increased product safety.The commercial application of this project is in the contrast agent segment of the MRI imaging market. If successful, this project could result in a significant expansion in MRI capability and usage, with the potential of developing new business on the order of $700 million per year.