Dramatically improved signal density and vivid image contrast can be experienced when a magnetic resonance imaging or MRI contrast agent is coupled with a nanodiamond, according to a study by Northwestern University.
It was remarked by Thomas J. Meade, the Eileen Foell Professor in Cancer Research in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and the Feinberg School of Medicine that the attained results are leap and this is an imaging agent for steroids.
From Sciencedaily.com:
“Nanodiamonds have been shown to be effective in attracting water molecules to their surface, which can enhance the relaxivity properties of the Gd(III)-nanodiamond complex,” said Ho. “This might explain why these complexes are so bright and such good contrast agents.”
“The nanodiamonds are utterly unique among nanoparticles,” Meade said. “A nanodiamond is like a cargo ship — it gives us a nontoxic platform upon which to put different types of drugs and imaging agents.”
The biocompatibility of the Gd(III)-nanodiamond complex underscores its clinical relevance. In addition to confirming the improved signal produced by the hybrid, the researchers conducted toxicity studies using fibroblasts and HeLa cells as biological testbeds.
Co-authors for this study were Dean Ho, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and mechanical engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.
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