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Posted: Jun 8th, 2012 A groundbreaking new graphene-based MRI contrast agent ( Nanowerk News ) Dr. Balaji Sitharaman , PhD, an Assistant Professor in the Department of BiomedicalEngineering at Stony Brook University, and a team of researchersdeveloped a new, highly efficacious, potentially safer and morecost effective nanoparticle-based MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)contrast agent for improved disease diagnosis and detection. The most recent findings are discussed in detail in his team'sresearch paper "Physicochemical characterization, and relaxometry studies ofmicro-graphite oxide, graphene nanoplatelets, and nanoribbons" , published in the June 7 edition of the journal PLoS ONE . Representative transmission electron microscope (TEM) images ofgraphene nanoparticles (a-b).The dark spots (red arrow) in panel(a) are the manganese ions intercalated between the graphenesheets. The high resolution TEM images (b) show the planar graphenelattice planes. The MRI, the technology for which was invented at Stony BrookUniversity by Professor Paul Lauterbur , is one of the most powerful and central techniques in diagnosticmedicine and biomedical research used primarily to renderanatomical details for improved diagnosis of many pathologies anddiseases. Currently, most MRI procedures use gadolinium-basedcontrast agents to improve the visibility and definition of diseasedetection. However, recent studies have shown harmful side effects, such asnephrogenic systemic fibrosis, stemming from the use of thiscontrast agent in some patients, forcing the Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) to place restrictions on the clinical use ofgadolinium. Further, most MRI contrast agents are not suitable forextended-residence-intravascular (blood pool), or tissue(organ)-specific imaging, and do not allow molecular imaging. To address the need for an MRI contrast agent that demonstratesgreater effectiveness and lower toxicity, Dr. Sitharaman developeda novel high-performance graphene-based contrast agent that mayreplace the gadolinium-based agent which is widely used byphysicians today. "A graphene-based contrast agent can allow thesame clinical MRI performance at substantially lower dosages," saidDr. Sitharaman. The project is a Wallace H. Coulter FoundationTranslational Research Award winner and the recipient of a two-yeartranslational grant to study preclinical safety and efficacy. "The technology will lower health care costs by reducing the costper dose as well as the number of doses required," noted Dr.Sitharaman. "Further, since this new MRI contrast agent willsubstantially improve disease detection by increasing sensitivityand diagnostic confidence, it will enable earlier treatment formany diseases, which is less expensive, and of course moreeffective for diseases such as cancer." The new graphene-based imaging contrast agent is also the focus ofDr. Sitharaman's start-up company, Theragnostic Technologies, Inc.,which was incorporated in early 2012. The ongoing development ofthis technology is supported by industry expert and businessadvisor, Shahram Hejazi, and clinical experts Kenneth Shroyer, MD,PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Pathology, Stony BrookUniversity, and William Moore, MD, Chief of Thoracic Imaging, andAssistant Professor, Department of Radiology, Stony BrookUniversity. Co-authors of the article include Department ofBiomedical Engineering research assistants Bhavna Paratala, BarryJacobson and Shruti Kanakia; and Leonard Deepak Francis from theInternational Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory in Portugal. Dr. Sitharaman's research team focuses their interests at theinterface of bionanotechnology, regenerative and molecularmedicine. They seek to "synergize" the advancements in each ofthese fields to develop a dynamic research program that tacklesproblems related to the diagnosis and treatment of disease andtissue regeneration. Dr. Sitharaman received his BS with Honorsfrom the Indian Institute of Technology and his PhD from RiceUniversity, where he also completed his postdoctoral work as a J.Evans Attwell-Welch Postdoctoral Fellowship recipient. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Motorcycle Cylinder Block Manufacturer , 2 Stroke Engine Piston, and more. For more , please visit Suzuki Single Cylinder today!
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