SBIR TOPIC 252 - MAGNETIC IRON OXIDE NANOPARTICLES FOR IMAGING ENHANCER

Iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles with high magnetization value and well controlled size and surface chemistry are currently under intense study due to their broad applications in biomedical research. Recent advances in iron oxide synthesis in organic solvents at elevated reaction temperature allows the preparation of size tunable and monodisperse particles. This NIH SBIR project intends to develop this new generation of iron oxide nanoparticles as target specific MRI contrast agents for pancreatic cancer detection. The specific aims are: 1) Prepare iron oxide nanoparticle kits with various surface ligands (such as COOH, NH2, biotin, streptavidin, and IgG) for target specific MR1 imaging. The amount of the functional groups on each nanoparticles will be quantified. 2) Optimize the size and surface coating of the iron oxide nanoparticles for increased contrast and reduced non-specific uptake by liver/spleen/ macrophages. The 5 nm, 10 nm, 20 nm and 30 nm iron oxide nanoparticles will be chosen for the size dependent study, the optimized iron oxide nanoparticles will be coated with the different amount of PEG to reduce RES uptake. 3) Investigate specificity and sensitivity of ATF-iron oxide nanoparticles in tumor imaging using orthotopic mouse pancreatic tumor xenograft models. We conduct preclinical studies to determine the optimal components and conditions for applying ATF 10 nanoparticles for the detection of pancreatic cancer in vivo.