THE MAJOR GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PREPARE SMALL, MONODISPERSED RESIN LATICES THAT MAY BE MAGNETIZED BY AN EXTERNAL MAGNETIC FIELD.

THE MAJOR GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PREPARE SMALL, MONODISPERSED RESIN LATICES THAT MAY BE MAGNETIZED BY AN EXTERNAL MAGNETIC FIELD. THE IMMEDIATE APPLICATION OF SUCH MATERIAL-AFTER COUPLING TO SUITABLE ANTIBODIES-IS AS NMR IMAGE CONTRASTING AGENTS FOR THE EARLY DETECTION OF CANCER OR CANCER METASTASES THAT ARE TOO SMALL FOR DETECTION BY PRESENT METHODS. TH ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, DISPERSIONS OF MAGNETIZABLE INORGANIC OXIDES IN STYRENE ARE TO BE POLYMERIZED IN THE PRESENCE OF VARYING LEVELS OF SURFACTANTSTO CONTROL PARTICLE SIZE AND, IN THE PRESENCE OF ONE OF SEVERAL FUNCTIONAL MONOMERS, TO ENHANCE CAPABILITY TO BOND COVALENTLY TO PROTEINS. THE EFFECT OF COATING MAGNETIZABLE WITH SHELLS OF INERT POLYMERS WILL BE EVALUATED. THE SPECIFIC AIM OF THIS PHASE I RESEARCH IS TO PROVIDE MATERIALS AS INDICATED.