Monocrystalline iron oxide particles for studying biological tissues
AssigneeThe General Hospital Corporation
InventorRalph Weissleder
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A liquid that includes monocrystalline superparamagnetic particles and a method for preparing this liquid. Also featured are a method of decreasing the NMR relaxation times of water protons in contact with biological tissue using this liquid and an in vitro method for obtaining information from biological tissue or components thereof using this liquid.
Claims32
A liquid comprising monocrystalline superparamagnetic iron oxide particles, each particle containing a magnetically responsive core (MRC), to be used for investigation of biological objects wherein said MRC is a single crystal in at least 50% of the particles in the liquid, and is monocrystalline or polycrystalline in the remaining particles in the liquid.
A liquid in the form of a stabilized colloidal solution comprising monocrystalline superparamagnetic iron oxide particles each particle containing a magnetically responsive core (MRC) whose average diameter is between 1 and 10 nanometers as measured by electron microscopy, wherein said MRC is a single crystal in at least 50% of said particles in said liquid, and is monocrystalline or polycrystalline in the remaining particles in the liquid.
A diagnostic agent comprising a liquid, said liquid comprising monocrystalline superparamagnetic iron oxide particles, each particle having a transverse relaxivity greater than about 10 (mM sec).sup.-1, each particle containing a magnetically responsive core (MRC), wherein said MRC is a single crystal in at least 50% of the particles in the liquid, and is monocrystalline or polycrystalline in the remaining particles in the liquid, and each particle having anchored thereto an anchored surface molecule (ASM) which increases the solubility of said magnetic particle in an aqueous solution and stabilizes an aqueous solution of said particle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.