title: Nanodiamond-Gadolinium(III) Aggregates for Tracking Cancer Growth In Vivo at High Field.
abstract: The ability to track labeled cancer cells in vivo would allow researchers to study their distribution, growth, and metastatic potential within the intact organism. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is invaluable for tracking cancer cells in vivo as it benefits from high spatial resolution and the absence of ionizing radiation. However, many MR contrast agents (CAs) required to label cells either do not significantly accumulate in cells or are not biologically compatible for translational studies. We have developed carbon-based nanodiamond-gadolinium(III) aggregates (NDG) for MR imaging that demonstrated remarkable properties for cell tracking in vivo. First, NDG had high relaxivity independent of field strength, a finding unprecedented for gadolinium(III) [Gd(III)]-nanoparticle conjugates. Second, NDG demonstrated a 300-fold increase in the cellular delivery of Gd(III) compared to that of clinical Gd(III) chelates without sacrificing biocompatibility. Further, we were able to monitor the tumor growth of NDG-labeled flank tumors by T1- and T2-weighted MR imaging for 26 days in vivo, longer than was reported for other MR CAs or nuclear agents. Finally, by utilizing quantitative maps of relaxation times, we were able to describe tumor morphology and heterogeneity (corroborated by histological analysis), which would not be possible with competing molecular imaging modalities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology, Radiology, and Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.|Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University , Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States.
authors.forename: Nikhil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rammohan
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology, Radiology, and Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
authors.forename: Keith W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: MacRenaris
authors.affiliation: Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University , Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States.
authors.forename: Laura K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: Center for Magnetic Resonance (CERM/CIRMMP) and Department of Chemistry, University of Florence , Sesto Fiorentino, Florence 50019, Italy.
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parigi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology, Radiology, and Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Mastarone
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology, Radiology, and Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Manus
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology, Radiology, and Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Lilley
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology, Radiology, and Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
authors.forename: Adam T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Preslar
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology, Radiology, and Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
authors.forename: Emily A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Waters
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology, Radiology, and Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
authors.forename: Abigail
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Filicko
authors.affiliation: Center for Magnetic Resonance (CERM/CIRMMP) and Department of Chemistry, University of Florence , Sesto Fiorentino, Florence 50019, Italy.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luchinat
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, University of California , Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Molecular Biosciences, Neurobiology, Radiology, and Center for Advanced Molecular Imaging, Northwestern University , Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.|Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University , Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States.
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Meade
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media; D005260:Female; D005682:Gadolinium; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D051379:Mice; D016513:Mice, SCID; D057054:Molecular Imaging; D058612:Nanodiamonds; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D058612:Nanodiamonds; D005682:Gadolinium
keywords: MRI; Nanodiamonds; cancer; gadolinium; in vivo