A multimeric MR-optical contrast agent for multimodal imaging

Abstract

We describe the design, synthesis and in vitro evaluation of a multimodal and multimeric contrast agent. The agent consists of three macrocyclic Gd(III) chelates conjugated to a fluorophore and possesses high relaxivity, water solubility, and is nontoxic. The modular synthesis is amenable for the incorporation of a variety of fluorophores to generate molecular constructs for a number of applications.