Systems and methods for high-resolution in vivo imaging of biochemical activity in a living organism

Abstract

This invention relates to multifunctional detection agents useful for providing high-resolution, in vivo imaging of biochemical activity in a living organism. Methods of using these multifunctional detection agents may comprise administering them into a living organism, and then estimating the localization of the detection agent using one modality (i.e., MRI), while concurrently estimating the level of biological activity using a second modality (i.e., optical imaging). One of the multifunctional detection agents comprises a magnetic resonance component and an optical imaging component. The magnetic resonance component comprises a contrast agent that is always activated or “on”. The optical imaging component comprises a plurality of activatable contrast agents or dyes, at least two of which are different from one another, wherein at least one of the activatable contrast agents can be activated or turned “on” only in the presence of a particular event.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 252,311 filed Sep. 23, 2002, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates generally to the field of medical diagnostic imaging. More particularly, the present invention relates to the design and synthesis of multifunctional contrast agents that are operable for both magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) and optical imaging, and methods of using such agents to obtain high-resolution in vivo images of biochemical activity in a living organism.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) was established over two decades ago as a medical diagnostic technique that offers high-resolution anatomical information about the human body, and has since been used for the detection of a multitude of diseases. MRI creates images of a body using the principles of nuclear magnetic reso...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides systems and methods for early detection of disease using multifunctional contrast agents that can be used in both MRI and optical imaging simultaneously. These contrast agents comprise a magnetic resonance component and an optical imaging component that can be activated in the presence of a predetermined event, such as an enzyme cleavage. The multifunctional detection agents allow for high-resolution imaging of biochemical activity in a living organism. The use of these agents can aid in the early detection of disease and the simultaneous monitoring of anatomical and functional information in a target area."

Problems solved by technology

Furthermore, the linker may be designed such that, as the result of some biological or signaling process (i.e., enzyme cleavage), the proximity of the dye and the quencher is compromised (i.e., the distance between the dye and the quencher is increased), thereby allowing light to be emitted and detected by an optical imaging device.

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