Nanodiamond-Gadolinium(III) Aggregates for Tracking Cancer Growth In Vivo at High Field. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • The ability to track labeled cancer cells in vivo would allow researchers to study their distribution, growth, and metastatic potential within the intact organism. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is invaluable for tracking cancer cells in vivo as it benefits from high spatial resolution and the absence of ionizing radiation. However, many MR contrast agents (CAs) required to label cells either do not significantly accumulate in cells or are not biologically compatible for translational studies. We have developed carbon-based nanodiamond-gadolinium(III) aggregates (NDG) for MR imaging that demonstrated remarkable properties for cell tracking in vivo. First, NDG had high relaxivity independent of field strength, a finding unprecedented for gadolinium(III) [Gd(III)]-nanoparticle conjugates. Second, NDG demonstrated a 300-fold increase in the cellular delivery of Gd(III) compared to that of clinical Gd(III) chelates without sacrificing biocompatibility. Further, we were able to monitor the tumor growth of NDG-labeled flank tumors by T1- and T2-weighted MR imaging for 26 days in vivo, longer than was reported for other MR CAs or nuclear agents. Finally, by utilizing quantitative maps of relaxation times, we were able to describe tumor morphology and heterogeneity (corroborated by histological analysis), which would not be possible with competing molecular imaging modalities.

publication date

  • November 15, 2016

Research

keywords

  • Gadolinium
  • Molecular Imaging
  • Nanodiamonds
  • Neoplasms, Experimental

Identity

PubMed Central ID

  • PMC5482002

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 85006371689

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1021/acs.nanolett.6b03378

PubMed ID

  • 27960515

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 16

issue

  • 12