ABSTRACT
Indium (In) - or Gadolinium (Gd)-loaded chelating agent Polychelating Amphiphilic Polymers demonstrated fast and efficient gamma and magnetic resonance (MR) visualization of different compartments of the lymphatic system. Amphiphilic polylysine (PL)-based chelating polymers can be successfully used as a key component of liposomal and micellar imaging agents in scintigraphy and MR imaging. This new class of polylysine-derived amphiphilic chelating agents described could be used broadly in other diagnostics and therapy applications. Micelles formed by self-assembled amphiphilic polymers can also be loaded with amphiphilic PL-based chelates carrying diagnostically important metal ions such as In and Gd. The ability of liposomes to entrap different substances into both the aqueous phase and the liposome membrane compartment makes them suitable for carrying diagnostic moieties used with all imaging modalities. Different chemical nature of reporter moieties used in different modalities and different signal intensity require various amounts of a diagnostic label to be delivered into the area of interest.
