The chemistry of the less familiar elements is a fascinating topic especially for the inorganic minded. The lanthanides, or rare earths, comprise the 5d block of the periodic table and represent a huge array of applications from catalysis to lasers, and of course, imaging agents.1

Recent advances in luminescence and magnetic resonance microscopy have, in part, been stimulated by extraordinary success in the development of new lanthanide probes. The unique properties of the lanthanides provide for a deep tool chest for the chemist, biologist and the imaging scientist to exploit, and that exploitation is in full swing.

In this review we focus on two classes of lanthanide probes that are subsets of the larger area of metalloimaging: luminescent and magnetic lanthanides. In Section 2 we discuss the general design and photophysical properties of lanthanides and how these parameters are tuned to develop bioresponsive probes for optical imaging. In Section 3 we provide a brief description of how MR images are acquired and the how MRI contrast agents are engineered to respond to biological events of interest. These guiding principles have driven research that has produced a truly diverse number of new agents that are target specific and bioresponsive (or bioactivatable). While other imaging modalities utilize lanthanide-based probes, these topics are beyond the scope of this review. We direct the reader to explore some excellent reviews in the important areas of radiometals and multimodal imaging.2–5

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Lanthanide probes for bioresponsive imaging.

Tens of millions of contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams are performed annually around the world. The contrast agents, which improve diagnostic accuracy, are almost exclusively small, hydrophilic gadolinium(III) based chelates. In recent years concerns have arisen surrounding the long-term safety of these compounds, and this has spurred research into alternatives. There has also been a push to develop new molecularly targeted contrast agents or agents that can sense pathological changes in the local environment. This comprehensive review describes the state of the art of clinically approved contrast agents, their mechanism of action, and factors influencing their safety. From there we describe different mechanisms of generating MR image contrast such as relaxation, chemical exchange saturation transfer, and direct detection and the types of molecules that are effective for these purposes. Next we describe efforts to make safer contrast agents either by increasing relaxivity, increasing resistance to metal ion release, or by moving to gadolinium(III)-free alternatives. Finally we survey approaches to make contrast agents more specific for pathology either by direct biochemical targeting or by the design of responsive or activatable contrast agents.

Chemistry of MRI Contrast Agents: Current Challenges and New Frontiers

Molecular imaging is the visualization, characterization and measurement of biological processes at the molecular and cellular levels in humans and other living systems. Molecular imaging agents are probes used to visualize, characterize and measure biological processes in living systems. These two definitions were put forth by the Sociey of Nuclear Medicine (SNM) in 2007 as a way to capture the interdisciplinary nature of this relatively new field. The emergence of molecular imaging as a scientific discipline is a result of advances in chemistry, biology, physics and engineering, and the application of imaging probes and technologies has reshaped the philosophy of drug discovery in the pharmaceutical sciences by providing more cost effective ways to evaluate the efficacy of a drug candidate and allowing pharmaceutical companies to reduce the time it takes to introduce new therapeutics to the marketplace. Finally the impact of molecular imaging on clinical medicine has been extensive since it allows a physician to diagnose a patient’s illness, prescribe treatment and monitor the efficacy of that treatment non-invasively.

Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) were the first molecular imaging modalities used clinically. SPECT requires the use of a contrast agent labeled with a gamma emitting radionuclide, which should have an ideal gamma energy of 100-250 keV. These gamma rays are recorded by the detectors of a dedicated gamma camera or SPECT instrument and after signal processing can be converted into an image indentifying the localization of the radiotracer. PET requires the injected radiopharmaceutical to be labeled with a positron emitting radionuclide. As the radionuclide decays it ejects a positron from its nucleus which travels a short distance before being annihilated with an electron to release two 511 keV gamma rays 180° apart that are detected by the PET scanner (Figure 1). After sufficient acquisition time the data are reconstructed using computer based algorithms to yield images of the radiotracer’s location within the organism. When compared to SPECT, PET has greater advantages with respect to sensitivity and resolution and has been gaining in clinical popularity, with the number of PET-based studies expected to reach 3.2 million by 2010.1 While SPECT and PET technology has been around for decades, its use remained limited because of the limited availability of relevant isotopes which had to be produced in nuclear reactors or particle accelerators. However, the introduction of the small biomedical cyclotron, the self-contained radionuclide generator and the dedicated small animal or clinical SPECT and PET scanners to hospitals and research facilities has increased the demand for SPECT and PET isotopes.



Figure 1

Cartoon depicting the fundamental principle of Positron Emission Tomography (PET). As the targeting group interacts with the cell surface receptor, the positron emitting radio-metal decays by ejecting β+ particles from its nucleus. After traveling ...



Traditional PET isotopes such as 18F, 15O, 13N and 11C have been developed for incorporation into small molecules, but due to their often lengthy radio-syntheses, short half-lives and rapid clearance, only early time points were available for imaging, leaving the investigation of biological processes, which occur over the duration of hours or days, difficult to explore. With the continuing development of biological targeting agents such as proteins, peptides, antibodies and nanoparticles, which demonstrate a range of biological half-lives, a need arose to produce new radionuclides with half-lives complementary with their biological properties. As a result, the production and radiochemistry of radiometals such as Zr, Y, In, Ga and Cu have been investigated as radionuclide labels for biomolecules since they have the potential to combine their favorable decay characteristics with the biological characteristics of the targeting molecule to become a useful radiopharmaceutical (Tables ​(Tables11 and ​and22).2



Table 1

Gamma- and Beta-Emitting Radiometals





Table 2

Positron-Emitting Radiometals



The number of papers published describing the production or use of these radiometals continues to expand rapidly, and in recognition of this fact, the authors have attempted to present a comprehensive review of this literature as it relates to the production, ligand development and radiopharmaceutical applications of radiometals (excluding 99mTc) since 1999. While numerous reviews have appeared describing certain aspects of the production, coordination chemistry or application of these radiometals,2-18 very few exhaustive reviews have been published.10,12 Additionally, this review has been written to be used as an individual resource or as a companion resource to the review written by Anderson and Welch in 1999.12 Together, they provide a literature survey spanning 50 years of scientific discovery. To accomplish this goal, this review has been organized into three sections: the first section discusses the coordination chemistry of the metal ions Zr, Y, In, Ga and Cu and their chelators in the context of radiopharmaceutical development; the second section describes the methods used to produce Zr, Y, In, Ga and Cu radioisotopes; and the final section describes the application of these radiometals in diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy.

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Coordinating Radiometals of Copper, Gallium, Indium, Yttrium and Zirconium for PET and SPECT Imaging of Disease

3.3. Magnetic Particle Imaging 3029 4. Challenges for CEST Agents 3029 4.1. Technical Issues 3029 4.2. Chemical Issues 3031 4.3. Biological Issues 3032 5. Challenges for Heteronuclear MR Imaging 3033 5.1. F-Based Probes 3033 6. Challenges for Hyperpolarized Probes 3034 6.1. Brute Force 3034 6.2. Optical Pumping and Spin Exchange 3035 6.3. Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (DNP) 3035 6.4. para-Hydrogen Induced Polarization (PHIP) 3037 6.5. Use of Gd Contrast Agents with Hyperpolarized Substances 3038

Challenges for Molecular Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Magnetism in medicine has had a long and interesting history In the 10 th century AD, Egyptian physician and philosopher Avicenna prescribed a grain of magnetite dissolved in milk for the accidental swallowing of rust reasoning that magnetite would render the poisonous iron inert by attracting it and accelerating its excretion through the intestine1 A thousand years later on July 3, 1977, “Indomitable”, the little machine that could, labored for five hours to produce one image, an event that used magnetism to change the landscape of modern medicine 2 Looking at the homemade superconducting magnet constructed from 30 miles of niobiumtitanium wire that now resides in its rightful place at the Smithsonian Institution, it is incredible to comprehend how in a mere 30 years magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has gone from its crude, almost ugly, human scan to where physicians can now regularly order MRIs off their menu of diagnostic tools because of its exquisite anatomical resolution, routinely down to 05 to 1 mm When the field was first reviewed in this journal in 1987, 3 only 39 papers were found in Medline with keywords “gado-“ and “MRI” 4 Today, this same search on PubMed pulls out over 250,000 records, of which a significant component has been development of MR contrast agents The human body is essentially a super-sized water bottle, with about two-thirds of its weight consisting of water Water's hydrogen atoms are able to act as microscopic compass needles that stand “at attention” when placed in a strong magnetic field When submitted to pulses of radio waves, their magnetic alignment is disrupted and the differences in how they relax to the previous state are used to generate images Contrast agents can act to catalyze the process of the return to the ground relaxed state Now commonplace in the clinic, paramagnetic or superparamagnetic metal ions are administered in 40–50% of the 7–10 million MR examinations per year 5 These image-enhancing contrast agents add significant morphological and functional information to unenhanced MR images, allowing for enhanced tissue contrast, characterization of lesions, and evaluation of perfusion and flow-related abnormalities In this review, we will introduce small molecule agents, but focus primarily on macromolecular MR contrast agents, particularly those containing gadolinium (Gd 3+ ) that are assembled or based in part on these same small molecules A brief discussion on iron oxide and manganese (Mn 2+ ) agents is also provided

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Macromolecules, Dendrimers, and Nanomaterials in Magnetic Resonance Imaging: The Interplay between Size, Function, and Pharmacokinetics

Aiming at radiopharmaceutical application, I111n3+ complexes of the polyaminocarboxylates TTHA, TTHA-bis(butylamide) and TTHA-bis(glucamide) were investigated. The in vitro stability of I111n(TTHA)3- and I111n(TTHA-bis(butylamide)- was evaluated by measuring the exchange of I111n3+ from the complexes to transferrin and the results were compared with those for I111n(DTPA)2-. We also performed biodistribution studies of the three I111n3+ complexes by gamma-imaging in Wistar rats and by measuring the radioactivity in their organs. TTHA and its derivatives seem to have similar in vivo biodistribution with prevailing renal excretion.

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In Vitro and In Vivo Behaviour of I111n Complexes of TTHA, TTHA-Bis(Butylamide) and TTHA-Bis(Glucamide): Stability, Biodistribution and Excretion Studied by Gamma Imaging

Sendo considerada uma tarefa complexa, nao e de todo surpreendente que os alunos portugueses manifestem dificuldades na aquisicao e dominio da composicao escrita de textos que, alias, tem sido evidenciadas em estudos nacionais e internacionais. Com o intuito de ajudar a ultrapassar esta lacuna, investigacoes na area verificaram os beneficios da instrucao explicita desta tarefa. O Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) e um modelo de instrucao de estrategias de escrita e de autorregulacao, cuja eficacia tem sido amplamente comprovada. Neste trabalho, apresenta-se o estudo quase experimental O ensino da escrita atraves do Programa de Desenvolvimento de Estrategias de Autorregulacao (SRSD) (SFRH/BD/84392/2012) que tem como objetivos principais adaptar as estrategias do SRSD referentes a planificacao e composicao escrita do ensaio de opiniao e do texto expositivo, e verificar os efeitos da sua instrucao em alunos do 8.o ano de escolaridade. Sendo este dominio uma competencia transversal a todo o curriculo, pretendemos ainda verificar a eficacia do ensino de estrategias de escrita e de autorregulacao na composicao de textos e no desempenho escolar geral dos alunos. Este estudo, com pre-teste, pos-teste e follow-up, decorreu durante o ano letivo de 2013-2014, em duas escolas do ensino basico do concelho de Coimbra, correspondendo uma delas ao grupo experimental e a outra ao de controlo. Desenvolveram-se dois programas diferentes de ensino da composicao escrita, efetivados em 12 sessoes, de 45 minutos cada, nas aulas de Portugues, tendo sido lecionados pelas professoras desta disciplina. O grupo experimental aprendeu as estrategias de composicao escrita do texto expositivo do SRSD, as quais foram previamente adaptadas para a lingua e contexto portugueses. No grupo de controlo foram ensinadas as estrategias para a composicao escrita do ensaio de opiniao que tinham sido testadas no âmbito de um projeto anterior (“Ensino de Estrategias de Escrita” /PTDC/CPE-CED/102010/2008). As licoes dos dois programas tiveram por base mnemonicas, proprias para cada tipologia textual. Atraves daquelas, foram ensinadas de forma explicita, aos alunos, a estrutura dos textos, os diferentes processos inerentes a sua redacao e estrategias de autorregulacao. As professoras participantes do estudo realizaram uma oficina de formacao, com a duracao de 50 horas, ao longo de todo o ano letivo. Estando a decorrer a fase de analise de dados, pretendemos, a data do encontro, apresentar os primeiros resultados.

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M. I. M. Prata

Papers

In Vitro and In Vivo Behaviour of I111n Complexes of TTHA, TTHA-Bis(Butylamide) and TTHA-Bis(Glucamide): Stability, Biodistribution and Excretion Studied by Gamma Imaging

A aprendizagem da escrita de textos com o Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD)