Medical Physics Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Medical Physics, including details on medicine, radiotherapy, biomechanics, medical imaging.

Recent advances in iron oxide nanocrystal technology for medical imaging.

Corot C, Robert P, Idée JM, Port M

Guerbet Research, BP 57400, 95943 Roissy CDG, France. Claire.corot@guerbet-group.com

Superparamagnetic iron oxide particles (SPIO and USPIO) have a variety of applications in molecular and cellular imaging. Most of the recent research has concerned cellular imaging with imaging of in vivo macrophage activity. According to the iron oxide nanoparticle composition and size which influence their biodistribution, several clinical applications are possible: detection liver metastases, metastatic lymph nodes, inflammatory and/or degenerative diseases. USPIO are investigated as blood pool agents with T1 weighted sequence for angiography, tumour permeability and tumour blood volume or steady-state cerebral blood volume and vessel size index measurements using T2 weighted sequences. Stem cell migration and immune cell trafficking, as well as targeted iron oxide nanoparticles for molecular imaging studies, are at the stage of proof of concept, mainly in animal models.

Published 4 December 2006 in Adv Drug Deliv Rev, 58(14): 1471-504.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Medical Physics Research Today. All Rights Reserved.