Tumor-targeted contrast agent has become an important auxiliary means in tumor detection and surgical navigation. CD BioSciences is dedicated to the development and application of tumor-targeted contrast agents in medical imaging to enhance the ability to characterize specific disease phenotypes. Our flexible design strategies and expert technical services will greatly accelerate our clients' research progress in the biomedical field.

Background

The early detection of cancer in the clinical setting is a huge and important challenge. In order to harness the maximum amount of information for early detection, more accurate diagnosis and patient treatment stratification, molecular imaging techniques, which allow imaging at the cellular level based on cancer-specific changes, have been employed. Tumour imaging techniques currently in widespread clinical use typically include structural imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The accurate detection of tumor tissue by medical imaging techniques depends not only on the development of the imaging equipment but also on the development of contrast agents. In the imaging process, contrast agents enhance the contrast of the signal, thus improving the sensitivity and accuracy of the detection. However, the majority of contrast agents currently available have a short half-life and are not selective for tumors, which is detrimental to tumor diagnosis. Therefore, the development of tumor-targeted contrast agents with high safety has become one of the hotspots of biomedical research, which is of great significance for early diagnosis and precise resection of tumors.

Fig.1 Composition of contrast agent for molecular imaging. (Pysz, 2010)

Our Strategies

• Passive targeted contrast agent design strategy
  We currently use liposomes, micelles, gold nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes as contrast agent carriers and design nanoparticles as passive targeting to tumors.
• Active targeted contrast agent design strategy
  Our commonly used active targeting ligands include proteins, nucleic acid ligands, peptidoglycans and polysaccharides.
• Activatable targeted contrast agents design strategy
  We utilize the specific microenvironment of tumor tissue to enable activatable targeting contrast agents to be converted into molecules that can be imaged in tumor tissue.

Our Services

Our research team is dedicated to helping our customers develop tumor-targeted contrast agents to improve the detection of tumors. We design a reasonable experimental scheme according to the scientific research needs of our clients and provide contrast agent design and synthesis services. The services we provide include but are not limited to:

• Development of targeted NIR fluorescent contrast agents.
• Development of targeted CT contrast agents.
• Development of targeted MRI contrast agents.
• Development of targeted radionuclide contrast agent.
• Development of nanoscale contrast agents for ultrasound molecular imaging.
• Development of multimodal ultrasound contrast agents.
• Development of dual-modality ultrasound contrast agents, including ultrasound and MRI dual-modality contrast agents, ultrasound and CT dual-modality contrast agents, ultrasound and optical bimodal contrast agents, and ultrasound and nuclear bimodal contrast agents.
• Development of tri-modal contrast agents, including ultrasound/optical/MRI modal contrast agents, ultrasound/CT/MRI tri-modal contrast agents, ultrasound/fluorescence/optical tri-modal contrast agents, and ultrasound/MRI/fluorescence trimodal contrast agents.

Applications

• Early detection and tumor characteristic
• Monitoring treatment response
• Imaging-guided delivery of therapy

With an extensive background in chemistry and biomedical science and a grounding in ultrasound physics, CD BioSciences is well-positioned to tailor the rational design and synthesis strategies to develop tumor-targeted contrast agents based on your specific scientific needs. Our extensive experience in contrast agent development allows us to provide you with the best solution quickly. If you are interested in our services, please contact us for more details.

Reference

1. Pysz, M. A.; et al. Molecular imaging: current status and emerging strategies. Clinical radiology. 2010, 65(7): 500-516.

• Impedance Measurements for Biomedical Research
• Analysis of Iron-Containing Biomolecules
• Biophysical Measurement of Red Blood Cells
• Detection of Insulin and Glucagon
• Detection and Identification of Neoplastic Cells
• Characterization of Bionanomaterials
• Monitoring of Drug Release
• In Vivo Imaging Services for Biomedical Research
• Development of Optical Biosensors for Infectious Disease Diagnosis
• Mechanical Characterization of Biological Cells
• Characterization of Heart Mitochondria
• Evaluation of Biophysical Properties of Bone Tissue
• High-Resolution Imaging and Characterization of Various Biomolecules