Skoltech researchers have developed a contrast agent that can be used for ultrasound and MRI studies. The drug, presented in the form of nanodrops with the dye indocyanine green and magnetite - iron oxide (Fe2O3) particles, improves the image quality of the organ under study, and also reduces the cost of the diagnosis itself.
The Skoltech press service explained that scientists conducted experiments on laboratory mice. The drug was injected into the caudal vein of the rodent, after which an increase in the contrast of ultrasound and MRI was recorded.
The developers of nanodrops note that the substance they created can be used in the future to treat brain diseases. According to the project manager Dmitry Gorin, the layer-by-layer deposition method, with which nanodrops are obtained, allows loading a medicinal substance into them. In particular, this makes it possible to carry out minimally invasive therapy of glioblastoma with the support of MRI, he concluded.