Polychelating agents for image and spectral enhancement (and spectral shift)
US5336762A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 16, 1991 |
| Grant date | Aug 9, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 16, 2011 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S977/93
- WIPO fieldPharmaceuticals
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The present invention includes an image-enhancing agent comprising a biodegradable, water-soluble polymer, synthetic or naturally derived and having repeating hydrophilic monomeric units with amino or hydroxyl groups. This agent also includes chelating agents comprising functional groups bound to an amino or hydroxyl group of the monomeric units. These chelating agents have a formation constant for divalent or trivalent metal cations of at least about 10.sup.8 at physiological temperature and pH. This image-enhancing agent is biodegradable to intermediary metabolites, excretable chelates, oligomers, monomers or combinations thereof of low toxicity. These image-enhancing agents may further comprise a paramagnetic metal ion for enhancement of the image arising from induced magnetic resonance signals. Images resulting from scanning of gamma particle emissions may be enhanced when the image-enhancing agent of the present invention comprises radioisotopic metal ions emitting gamma particles. The physical conversion of these image-enhancing agents into microspheres (or, less optimally, microaggregates) allows further internal directioning of the image-enhancing agents to organs with phag…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.