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Abstract #2307

A Ratiometric Bioresponsive MRI Contrast Agent for Rapid Monitoring of Biological Processes

Tanja Savić1, Serhat Gündüz2, Rolf Pohmann3, Nikos Logothetis4, Klaus Scheffler3, and Goran Angelovski1

1Research group "MR Neuroimaging agents", Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, 2Research Group "MR Neuroimaging agents", Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, 3High-Field Magnetic Resonance, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany, 4Physiology of Cognitive Processes, Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics, Tübingen, Germany

A number of bioresponsive MRI contrast agents have been developed, with the aim of producing the maximal signal difference for a given biological event. This paper introduces an approach which substantially improves the detection of physiological events with fast kinetics. A nanosized, calcium-sensitive dendrimeric probe was developed and characterized by means of a balanced steady-state free precession imaging protocol. Results show an almost four times greater contrast gain per unit of time as compared to conventional T1-weighted imaging with small sized contrast agents. Consequently, this ratiometric methodology has a profound significance for future studies of biological dynamic processes by means of MRI.

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