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Abstract #0422

Development of CEST Liposomes for Monitoring Nanoparticle-Based Cancer Therapies

Kannie W.Y. Chan1, 2, Tao Yu3, 4, Yuan Qiao5, Guanshu Liu1, 6, Ming Yang4, Jeff W.M. Bulte, 27, Peter C.M. van Zijl1, 6, Justin S. Hanes3, Michael T. McMahon1, 6

1Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; 2Cellular Imaging Section and Vascular Biology Program, Institute for Cell Engineering, Baltimore, MD, United States; 3Center for Nanomedicine, The Wilmer Eye Institute, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; 4Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States; 5The Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, United States; 6F.M. Kirby Research Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States; 7Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States


Nanoparticle-based local drug treatment has potential for chemotherapy for cancers, but there is a need for real time in vivo imaging of the particle delivery to monitor therapeutic efficacy. We used Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST), a molecular MRI contrast mechanism, to monitor the delivery of liposomes loaded with both a diaCEST agent (barbituric acid) with a resonance at 5.0 ppm from water) and drug (Doxorubicin) to colon tumors. The CEST contrast was used to image the spatial distribution of the particles after administration and over a period of 24-h in vivo.