Near-infrared mammography agent studied

BOSTON, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists have developed a near-infrared mammography contrast agent that reveals breast cancer and bone microcalcification.

Although mammography is the method of choice for early detection of breast cancer, it doesn't deliver reliable results for every level of tissue density.

Among alternatives being considered, near-infrared fluorescence mammography is a highly promising technique. But effective contrast agents have been lacking.

Now a team led by John Frangioni at the Harvard Medical School has developed a contrast agent that makes visible the microcalcifications related to malignant breast tumors.

As the basis of their contrast agent, the researchers used the osteoporosis drug pamidronate. The researchers attached a dye that fluoresces to a pamidronate derivative. Such fluorescence, they said, penetrates especially well into living tissue without damaging it, and is easy to detect.

Thanks to a pamidronate derivative developed by Kumar Bhushan, the Harvard team has now been able to synthesize large quantities of a contrast agent called Pam800 -- enough to run a trial with large animals.

The research findings are reported in the journal Angewandte Chemie.