Development of Novel Molecular Imaging Agents and Methods for Magnetic Resonance Imaging

本研究的中心目标是开发用于磁共振成像（MRI）的分子成像方法和试剂。分子成像是一门研究学科，旨在非侵入性地可视化，表征和量化生物体中分子或细胞水平上发生的过程。由于MRI已经是许多疾病的护理标准，因此人们对开发用于MRI的新试剂和方法以在体内成像分子过程非常感兴趣。MRI可产生高对比度和高分辨率的组织图像。它还能够提供“功能”信息，这可以为理解分子成像数据提供重要的背景。不幸的是，由于分子在体内的浓度低和MRI的灵敏度有限，使用MRI检测分子“靶标”通常是困难的。这项发现补助金中提出的研究重点是开发新的分子成像剂和方法，具有高靶向灵敏度和特异性，可用于MRI。有三个一般的研究目标来支持这一研究目标。

The central goal of this research is the development of molecular imaging methods and agents for use with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Molecular imaging is a research discipline, which seeks to non-invasively visualize, characterize and quantify processes taking place at the molecular or cellular level in living organisms. Since MRI is already the standard of care in many diseases, there is great interest in developing new agents and methods for MRI to image molecular processes in vivo. MRI produces excellent images of tissue with high contrast and resolution. It is also capable of providing “functional” information, which can provide important context for understanding molecular imaging data. Unfortunately it is often difficult to detect molecular “targets” using MRI due to their low in vivo concentration and the limited sensitivity of MRI. The research proposed in this Discovery Grant is focused on developing new molecular imaging agents and methods with high target sensitivity and specificity for use with MRI. There are three general research objectives to support this research goal.