Polymer probes for phosphor magnetic resonance imaging
The team of Dr. Richard Laga from the Department of Polymer and Colloid Immunotherapeutics of the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry working at the BIOCEV Research Centre, in collaboration with colleagues from the Department of Radiodiagnostics and Interventional Radiology of IKEM, has developed new polymeric probes enabling anatomical and functional 31P-MR imaging of internal body structures and physiological processes. The results of the new study have been published in the journal Macromolecular Bioscience.
The publication focuses on the development of conceptually-new types of bioresponsive probes based on phosphor-containing polymers detectable by 31P-MRI. "We have shown that the prepared polymer probes provide a strong 31P-MRI signal under in vitro and in vivo conditions, which is highly distinguishable from the natural biological background due to the specific probe composition. Moreover, in the presence of reactive oxygen species produced in tumor tissues or inflammation, the probes undergo structural changes, which can be exploited in 31P-MRI detection of these pathological conditions," describes Ing. Lucie Kracíková, a member of the research team responsible for the synthesis of the polymer probes. The new study is the result of a multidisciplinary collaboration of scientists from several departments from the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the CAS, the Institute of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and the Institute of Biotechnology of the CAS.
