Advances in F19 MRI: Imaging Drugs in Living Organisms

In summary, experiments have shown that incorporation of more fluorines into a compound can increase the sensitivity of 19F MRS/MRI. This would be useful for boron as it is a common nuclear spin-1/2 nucleus.
  • #1
gravenewworld
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What kind of advances have been made in this field (since I don't stay on top of it)? If I wanted to image, say, where my fluorinated drug is going within a rat, is it possible? NMR is inherently not a sensitive modality. Hydrogen is vastly more abundant in a living organism than fluorine (typical MRI vs F19 MRI), so given the fact that most therapeutic doses of drugs occur probably in the millimolar to nanomolar range, is it even possible to produce a good image with F19 MRI? Is it practically impossible to produce a decent S/N ratio? What if I incorporated more fluorines into my compound?
 
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  • #2
I recall people were fiddling around with hyperpolarization schemes in relation to 19F MRS/MRI at an Experimental NMR Conference a few years back, but they were able to get the model system/proof of concept looking fairly convincing, so you might want to poke around to see if they've made the jump to the clinic (or at least the diagnostic radiology research labs).

Otherwise, more fluorines = more signal. Jeff Bulte at Johns Hopkins has been using extensively fluorinated compounds as contrast agents/tracers that I can also muster up from memory within the last few years. Also, in general, fluorine has some particularly interesting advantages - it's about 80% to 85% as sensitive as 1H, the only stable isotope is 19F (in contrast to hydrogen and deuterium), and it's a spin-1/2 nucleus.
 
  • #3
Thanks for the response. My PI just sent me this paper in which they have a moiety containing a CF3 group complexed with a lanthanide metal

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mrm.22881/abstract

Sensitivity for 19F increases by 10,000 fold. Would this work for boron instead of a lanthanide? For example a compound containing a BF2 group? My quantum chemistry is quite rusty (took it almost 10 years ago), so I'm not sure if using boron would also work to decrease relaxation times too.
 
  • #4
The most common boron nuclei are quadrupolar, so my initial suspicion is that they would indeed facilitate faster relaxation times. Relative to a comparable lanthanide complex...not sure off the top of my head. I would suspect probably not, although it would depend on which one. I'm mostly thinking that you may find naturally occurring lanthanides to be a mix of isotopes, some of which are themselves quadrupolar (for example - "natural abundance" gadolinium is actually composed of 5 or 6 isotopes, some of which are spin-3/2 nuclei). I think there are some lanthanides which are mostly just spin-1/2 nuclei (thulium, I think, as it's used in the shift reagent TmDOTP), but my rare-earth chemistry is a bit dusty.
 
  • #5


There have been significant advancements in the field of F19 MRI in recent years. F19 MRI, also known as fluorine-19 MRI, is a type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that uses the nucleus of fluorine atoms to produce images. This technique has shown great potential in imaging drugs in living organisms.

One of the major advances in F19 MRI is the development of specialized imaging probes that can be incorporated into drugs. These probes contain a fluorine atom, which can be detected by F19 MRI. This allows for the tracking of the drug in real-time within living organisms. This has greatly improved our understanding of drug distribution and metabolism in the body.

Another important advancement is the improvement in imaging techniques and equipment. F19 MRI has become more sensitive and can now produce high-resolution images, allowing for the detection of even small amounts of the drug in the body. This has made it possible to track drug distribution in living organisms, including rats.

While it is true that hydrogen is more abundant in living organisms than fluorine, F19 MRI has become sensitive enough to detect fluorine at concentrations as low as nanomolar levels. This makes it possible to produce high-quality images of drug distribution in the body, even at therapeutic doses.

Incorporating more fluorines into a drug compound can also improve the sensitivity of F19 MRI. However, this should be done carefully as it can also affect the pharmacokinetics and efficacy of the drug.

In conclusion, significant advances have been made in F19 MRI, making it a valuable tool for imaging drugs in living organisms. With the development of specialized imaging probes and improvements in imaging techniques, it is now possible to produce high-quality images of drug distribution in the body, even at low concentrations. Incorporating more fluorines into drug compounds can further improve the sensitivity of F19 MRI, but it should be done with caution.
 

FAQ: Advances in F19 MRI: Imaging Drugs in Living Organisms

1. What is F19 MRI and how does it work?

F19 MRI is a type of medical imaging technique that uses the element fluorine (F) to produce images. This is achieved by injecting a special type of molecule, called a contrast agent, into the body. The fluorine atoms in the contrast agent emit signals that can then be detected by an MRI scanner, creating detailed images of the inside of the body.

2. What are the advantages of using F19 MRI compared to other imaging techniques?

F19 MRI has several advantages over other imaging techniques, such as PET or CT scans. One major advantage is that it does not use ionizing radiation, making it safer for patients. F19 MRI also has a higher sensitivity and resolution, allowing for better visualization of small structures and changes in the body. Additionally, F19 MRI can be used to track the movement and distribution of drugs in real-time, providing valuable insights for drug development and monitoring.

3. How is F19 MRI being used to image drugs in living organisms?

F19 MRI is being used in pre-clinical studies to track the distribution and metabolism of drugs in living organisms. This involves injecting the drug with a modified F19 molecule, which can then be detected and imaged by the MRI scanner. This technique allows researchers to study the effectiveness and potential side effects of drugs in real-time, providing valuable information for drug development and clinical trials.

4. Are there any limitations or challenges to using F19 MRI for drug imaging?

While F19 MRI has shown great potential for drug imaging, there are still some limitations and challenges. One of the main limitations is the availability of specialized contrast agents that can specifically target certain drugs or tissues. Another challenge is the relatively long acquisition time for F19 MRI, which can limit its use for real-time imaging. Additionally, there may be some variability in the results depending on the type of F19 molecule used and the imaging parameters.

5. What are the potential future developments for F19 MRI in drug imaging?

There are several potential future developments for F19 MRI in drug imaging. One area of research is the development of more specific and sensitive contrast agents for targeted drug imaging. Another potential development is the use of F19 MRI in clinical settings, which would require further validation and standardization of the technique. Additionally, combining F19 MRI with other imaging techniques, such as PET or CT, could provide even more detailed and comprehensive information about drug distribution and metabolism in the body.

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