Recent progress in molecular imaging has been driven by the need for real-time, in vivoinformation that can be collected quickly and with minimal perturbation to the subject. To this end a wide variety of high relaxivity, Gd(III) bearing nanoconstructs have been reported. These include liposomes, nanodiamonds, organic polymer nanoparticles, and inorganic silica and gold nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles have been the most versatile and accessible for contrast agent development due to their facile synthesis, bio-compatibility and ease of surface functionalization via gold-thiol conjugation.Fluorescently labeled Gd(III)-DNA Gold nanostar conjugates (Cy3 DNA-GdIII@AuNS) provide an improved imaging platform that leverages the biocompatibility of previously published Gd(III) enriched DNA AuNP probes, while enhancing Gd(III) relaxivity and payload.The larger, highly anisotropic shape of the Cy3 DNA-GdIII@AuNS provides high surface area for binding of Gd(III) DNA and generates a 2.5 fold increase in r1 relaxivity at 1.41 T compared to 13 nm AuNPs and a ten-fold increase relative to the clinical standard ProHance. Cy3 DNA-GdIII@AuNS show the low toxicity and high cell uptake of equivalently functionalized 13nm DNA AuNPs in pancreatic cancer (PANC-1) cells.

Cy3 labeled Gd(III)-DNA-gold nanostars: Anisoptropic nanoconjugates for biocompatible optical and magnetic resonance imaging

247th National Meeting (2014)

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