Nanoparticles could improve MRI contrast

A team of scientists who have developed nanoparticles capable of improving MRI signals tenfold, reports AZO Nano.

Led by Cornelia Palivan and Wolfgang Meier from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Basel, the team developed new nanoparticles that it claims can improve MRI images as well as make them more responsive in detecting certain cancerous tissues. The results have been published in the journal Chemical Communications.

The nanoparticles comprise both heparin-functionalized polymers with trapped gadolinium ions and stimuli-responsive peptides.

Current contrast agents cannot detect certain biochemical environments or diseases in the early stages of development, rending them inefficient in early detection which can stop the worst onset of most diseases. In addition to giving a ten times better MRI signal, these nanoparticles also improve efficiency, responsiveness to many different environments and longer blood circulation.