ALTERNATIVESTOGD

Developing non-toxic MRI agents for safer, highly sensitive molecular imaging.

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important and versatile medical diagnostics technique, particularly for cancers. Warnings have been issued against Gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents (GBCAs), which are routinely employed during MRI diagnostic procedures, due to health concerns about Gd accumulation in the human body. The EU-funded AlternativesToGd project aims to develop metal-free hyperpolarised (HP) metabolic CAs to enable molecular imaging and monitor enzymatic conversions with very high sensitivity. A major challenge for researchers is overcoming the short lifetime of HP states in these CAs. The team will investigate three ground-breaking HP techniques to maximise HP lifetime and achieve unprecedented sensitivity in contrast-enhanced MRI diagnostics with CAs that are safe, non-toxic and completely eliminated from the body after the procedure.