CHAMPAIGN, Ill., June 7 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say they are developing new kinds of "multimodal" contrast imaging agents.
The scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign say such agents would be able to work within a host of medical imaging platforms -- including ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and molecular imaging.
Such new agents might, in turn, significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, according to Kenneth Watkin, a professor in the department of speech and hearing science.
"The goal of this work for me was to be able to create advanced methods for the treatment of disease, specifically cancer, that reduce the toxic effects that we see with our current treatments," Watkin said. "And to do that, I had to develop really, really, really small carriers.
The tiny carriers Watkin is proposing would, in effect, zero in on tumors in much the same way smart bombs take aim at strategic targets. Watkin said his transport system of choice are nanoparticles of gadolinium oxide.
Watkin's findings, the result of work with former graduate student Michael McDonald, were outlined recently in the journal Academic Radiology.
