Scientists in the US have made a new MRI contrast agent for detecting copper(I) in cells. It could be used to detect changes in labile copper pools in live animals, which is associated with many disease states including Menke’s disease. It is the first in cellulo validation of the utility of a responsive Gd-based MR contrast agent to report on the metal status of the cell.
Link to journal article
A Cell-Permeable Gadolinium Contrast Agent for Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Copper in a Menkes Disease Model
E L Que, E J New and C J Chang
Chem. Sci., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2sc20273e
