Recent advances in the development of nanoparticles for multimodality imaging and therapy of cancer

This review explores recent work directed toward the development of nanoparticles (NPs) for multimodality cancer imaging and targeted cancer therapy. In the growing era of precision medicine, theranostics, or the combined use of targeted molecular probes in diagnosing and treating diseases is playing a particularly powerful role. There is a growing interest, particularly over the past few decades, in the use of NPs as theranostic tools due to their excellent performance in receptor target specificity and reduction in off-target effects when used as therapeutic agents. This review discusses recent advances, as well as the advantages and challenges of the application of NPs in cancer imaging and therapy.

The evolution of gadolinium based contrast agents: from single-modality to multi-modality

Gadolinium-based contrast agents are extensively used as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents due to their outstanding signal enhancement and ease of chemical modification. However, it is increasingly recognized that information obtained from single modal molecular imaging cannot satisfy the higher requirements on the efficiency and accuracy for clinical diagnosis and medical research, due to its limitation and default rooted in single molecular imaging technique itself. To compensate for the deficiencies of single function magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, the combination of multi-modality imaging has turned to be the research hotpot in recent years. This review presents an overview on the recent developments of the functionalization of gadolinium-based contrast agents, and their application in biomedicine applications.

A gadolinium(iii) complex based dual-modal probe for MRI and fluorescence sensing of fluoride ions in aqueous medium and in vivo

A novel Gd(iii) complex based dual-modal probe, Gd(TTA)₃-DPPZ was designed and assembled for the simultaneous fluoride ion in aqueous media and in vivo.

Recent advances in Gd-chelate based bimodal optical/MRI contrast agents

Recent developments in the field of bimodal MRI/optical contrast agents, based on Gd³⁺-chelates are presented.

Exceptional Oxygen Sensing Properties of New Blue Light-Excitable Highly Luminescent Europium(III) and Gadolinium(III) Complexes

New europium(III) and gadolinium(III) complexes bearing 8-hydroxyphenalenone antenna combine efficient absorption in the blue part of the spectrum and strong emission in polymers at room temperature. The Eu(III) complexes show characteristic red luminescence whereas the Gd(III) dyes are strongly phosphorescent. The luminescence quantum yields are about 20% for the Eu(III) complexes and 50% for the Gd(III) dyes. In contrast to most state-of-the-art Eu(III) complexes the new dyes are quenched very efficiently by molecular oxygen. The luminescence decay times of the Gd(III) complexes exceed 1 ms which ensures exceptional sensitivity even in polymers of moderate oxygen permeability. These sensors are particularly suitable for trace oxygen sensing and may be good substitutes for Pd(II) porphyrins. The photophysical and sensing properties can be tuned by varying the nature of the fourth ligand. The narrow-band emission of the Eu(III) allows efficient elimination of the background light and autofluorescence and is also very attractive for use e.g. in multi-analyte sensors. The highly photostable indicators incorporated in nanoparticles are promising for imaging applications. Due to the straightforward preparation and low cost of starting materials the new dyes represent a promising alternative to the state-of-the-art oxygen indicators particularly for such applications as e.g. food packaging.

A smart copper(ii)-responsive binuclear gadolinium(iii) complex-based magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent

The relaxivity of the complex was modulated by Cu²⁺, that is, in the absence of Cu²⁺ the complex exhibited a relatively low relaxivity value of 6.40 mM⁻¹ s⁻¹, while the addition of Cu²⁺ triggered the relaxivity to 11.28 mM⁻¹ s⁻¹, an enhancement of approximately 76%.