Gadolinium-chelating nanogels as MR contrast agesnts specifically targeting tumor cells

Development of multifunctional nanogels coordinating paramagnetic ions and displacing targeting ligands for preferential accumulation into tumors. Low molecular-weight Gd-chelates are widely used in clinical MRI for various purposes. However, these contrast agents (CAs) have several shortcomings: they rapidly extravasate from blood vessels to the interstitial space, have a short circulation times and show poor contrast at high magnetic fields. Incorporating gadolinium into flexible nanogels has the potential of increasing intravascular half-life, accumulation and retention in specific body compartments of the CA as well as increasing the MR signal, since many metal ions can be coordinated to the same nanoparticl