Having a high local density of cages is a prerequisite for visualizing blood vessel cells in MRI. In a further step, the researchers tested whether xenon could enter the cages inside the molecules - this also proved successful. Schroeder then investigated how micelles equipped with xenon behave in two cell cultures, one of which comprised cerebral cells. In this case, the micelles docked onto blood vessel cells and labeled them - the newly developed contrast agent worked. To check their findings, Leif Schroeder also tested the micelles in aortic cells. Since this type of cell is structured differently, however, there was much less binding of micelles in this case.

The advantage of the new method is that the spread of malignant tumors to the brain can be detected early, before the onset of widespread metastasis. This is because, when metastasis occurs, brain areas exhibit increased formation of blood vessels, which are needed to supply nutrients to tumor tissue. In the case of breast cancer, this type of metastasis is often associated with a poor prognosis. Blood vessels absorb the micelles developed by Schroeder's and Dathe's team, and xenon enables the process of new vessel formation to be visualized directly - at an early stage. Conventional methods for labeling certain cells for MRI are much less sensitive. A comparison showed that alternatives involving fluorine contrast agents are around 16,000 times less efficient.


"The new contrast agent could be used for the safe and minimally invasive detection of early-stage cerebral metastases. This could have significant advantages, particularly in the diagnosis of breast cancer, because dangerous tumors can be detected much earlier, improving therapy outcomes," summarized Leif Schroeder. In the future, Schroeder and his group intend to utilize xenon-based contrast agents for other medical applications.

Back to HCB News

MRI Homepage