Contrast agent for tumor diagnostics: Phosphorescent metal-organic coordination polymers for optical imaging
Wednesday, March 23, 2011 - 15:00
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- X-rays are not the only way: visible and especially infrared light can also be used to image human tissue. The effectiveness of optical imaging processes can be significantly improved with suitable dyes used as contrast agents. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a team led by Wenbin Lin at the University of North Carolina has now introduced a novel contrast agent that marks tumor cells in vitro. The dye is a phosphorescent ruthenium complex incorporated into nanoparticles of a metalorganic coordination polymer, which allows an extraordinarily high level of dye loading.