Grant: Idea to Innovation

Molecular imaging is the in-vivo study and measurement of biological processes at the molecular level. Popular molecular imaging modalities include positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and optical imaging. These modalities rely upon probes or tracers to enhance sites of target molecules or tissues through the complementary processes of accumulation and activation. Accumulation occurs when the local concentration of the probe is increased through metabolic uptake or molecular adhesion and is the principle mechanism for localized image enhancement in nuclear medicine. Many varieties of probe are also activatable, their behavior mediated by interaction with the target molecule. Probes demonstrating activation are variously called "sensing" or "smart" probes. Smart probes are used in both optical imaging and MRI studies to improve the specificity of the probe. Ideally smart probes would produce no image enhancement in the inactivated state; however, to date, these probes combined with conventional MRI have shown image intensity enhancement in both inactivated and activated states, with relatively modest signal intensity ratios between these two states. We have invented a new technology for obtaining specificity in magnetic resonance (MR) molecular imaging. Our invention utilizes an additionally electromagnet which is used to modify the strength of the main magnetic field as a function of time in an otherwise standard MRI scanner. Due to the unique response in relaxivity of activated contrast agents, this technology allows one to specifically identify the location of activated contrast agents within an MR image for the first time. We call this new invention "dreMR", which is an acronym for: "delta relaxation enhanced magnetic resonance".