BrainMap: Michael T. McMahon, PhD

Development of high sensitivity IntraMolecular bond Shifted HYdrogens (IM-SHY) CEST agents for molecular imaging 

Due to its exquisite soft tissue contrast and high spatial resolution, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a pre-eminent clinical diagnostic tool. Relaxation-based agents, including gadolinium complexes, manganese and iron oxides, were the status quo for exogenous MRI contrast until Ward and Balaban suggested as an alternative using exchangeable solute protons in diamagnetic compounds to produce Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer (CEST) contrast. We are interested in developing large chemical shift CEST contrast agents in order to enable CEST imaging on clinical scanners and have developed excellent organic CEST agents which are often biodegradable based around the use of  intra-molecular hydrogen bonds to shift the labile protons on aromatic compounds from 5 - 12 ppm from water. I will describe a number of examples and show how these can be applied to molecular imaging.