Glycosylated Contrast Agents Effective at 3 Tesla for MRI Applications

核磁共振扫描在临床实践中被常规使用，以帮助诊断损伤或疾病状态。在30%到40%的检查中，给患者注射造影剂，以帮助放射技师获得更好的图像，改善信号/噪声或对比度。现在，全世界每年都有超过1000万例造影剂扫描。这些检查中的绝大多数使用基于Gd的造影剂，每次检查通常使用约4克Gd络合物。未来，新的核磁共振扫描仪将在更高的磁场(3特斯拉)下工作，目前许多在1.5特斯拉下工作良好的造影剂在这个更高的磁场下效果要差得多。这一事实，再加上寻找本质上更有效的造影剂的需要，推动了对第二代造影剂的研究。因此，拟议的工作是设计新型的格拉络合物，这种络合物具有在3特斯拉下工作所需的能力，可以很容易地从现成的材料中制备出来，并且具有使其作为造影剂更有效的分子结构。除了表面覆盖有葡萄糖或相关糖基的新复合体外，还将设计出新类型的复合体，使其能够记录体内局部pH梯度的地图。这将是有益的，例如，在诊断肾功能的性质/范围，潜在地有益于大量的肾功能衰竭或正在接受透析的患者。

MRI scans are used routinely in clincial practice to help the diagnosis of injury or disease state. In 30 to 40% of these examinations, a contrast agent is given to the patient to help the radiographer to gain a better image, with improved siganl/noise or contrast. Now over 10 million contrast-assisted scans are obtained every year, around the world. The vast majority of these examinations use contrast agents based on gadolinium, using typically about 4 grams of the Gd complex per examination. In future, new MRI scanners will operate at a higher magnetic field (3 Tesla), and many of the current range of contrast agents that work well at 1.5 Tesla are much less effective at this higher field. This fact , coupled with the need to find contrast agents that are intrinsically more efficient, is driving the search for a second generation of contrast agents. proposed work therefore seesk to devise new types of gadolinium complex that possess the desired ability to function at 3 Tesla, are easily prepared from readily available materials and have a molecular structure that renders them more effective as contrast agents. In addition to new complexes that are covered on their exterior with glucose or related sugar groups, new types of complex will be devised that may allow the recording of maps of local pH gradients in vivo. This would be of benefit, for example, in the diagnosis of the nature/extent of kidney function, of benefit potentially to large numbers of patients with renal failure or undergoing dialysis.