With sensitivity 84% that of 1H, 19F MRI has been an alluring alternative to 1H imaging for the last decade. 19F MRI is particularly promising for responsive and targeted imaging, where the lack of fluorine nuclei in vivo results in near zero background signal in vivo. In 19F MRI, any signal comes solely from the probe. This is a substantial advantage over gadolinium-type responsive MRI contrast agents which have to contend with the background signal due to the high concentration of H2O in the body. Unfortunately, this is also the Achilles’ heel of this approach. The insensitivity of the MRI techniques requires M concentrations of 19F for it to be observed in vivo. In order to render 19F MRI feasible, we thus have to start by improving its sensitivity. We have followed a three-pronged approach to improving the sensitivity of these probes &gt;100-fold: decreasing their relaxation times with appropriate lanthanides and iron complexes, incorporating symmetrically equivalent nuclei in the same probe, and optimizing the rotational correlation time of the agent. Having optimized the sensitivity of these probes substantially, we can now evaluate the feasibility of 19F MRI for in vivo imaging of specific biomarkers.<br/>

19F MRI: Dream or reality

249th National Meeting (2015)

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