A High T1-Relaxivity Nanoparticle for in Vivo MRI Detection of Kidney Glomeruli

Scott Charles Beeman¹, Maria Veronica Clavijo Jordan¹, Edwin J. Baldelomar¹, Kevin M. Bennett¹

The goal of this work is to develop a non-invasive, MRI-based method for detecting kidney glomeruli in vivo. We have previously shown that kidney glomeruli may be detected in vivo using the glomerulus-specific contrast agent cationized ferritin (CF), though it is quite difficult to detect the superparamagnetic CF against the dark blood background of the kidney. Here we show that a paramagnetic version of CF, called paraCF, may be created to label kidney glomeruli and render then highly detectable in vivo with T₁-weighted MRI.