| Description |
Various modern imaging techniques are recently widely used to monitor structural, functional and molecular changes in biological tissues. Each of these methods has its own advantages and limitations, such as low spatial or depth resolution and sensitivity, which make it difficult to obtain accurate information from the desired location. Multimodal imaging can compensate for these weaknesses and play an important role in optimizing medical research and clinical practice. This project will focus on the development and controlled synthesis of functional lanthanide nanoparticles coated with biocompatible polymers in order to design novel multimodal cellular markers. Combining different lanthanides in a nanocrystal structure of particles will result in a trimodal probe for optical (down- and upconverting), ultra-high field MRI and enhanced X-ray CT imaging. Reactive functional polymers will be used to control the chemical and colloidal stability of particles and immobilize bioactive low-molecular weight compounds. In collaboration with biological institutes, the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of lanthanide nanomarkers as multimodal contrast agents will be evaluated in terms of their ability to stain cells, generate contrast, and eventually determine biodistribution of particles. |
