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ABSTRACT
The Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) provides access to the internal structure of living things, in a non-invasive manner. To go beyond the simple structure of living matter, it has been necessary to develop molecules with very specific properties, contrast agents, which are used to extend the scope and specificity of MRI. These contrast agents have increased the contrast of MRI images and are now used to visualize molecular events at the cellular level and allow a physico-chemical characterization of tissues.
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Read the articleAUTHORS
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Jean-François MORFIN: Research engineer in the Metal Complexes for Biomedical Applications team - Center for Molecular Biophysics, CNRS, Orléans
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Jean-Claude BELOEIL: CNRS Research Director Emeritus - Center for Molecular Biophysics, CNRS, Orléans
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Éva TÓTH: CNRS Research Director - Center for Molecular Biophysics, CNRS, Orléans
INTRODUCTION
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is now part of everyday life, and even the slightest winter sports injury leads to an MRI scan. Its atraumatic, non-invasive nature is a decisive advantage. Most hospitals are now equipped with them. MRI does not necessarily require the use of imaging agents to provide a structural image of the body's interior. The physical settings of the experiment even allow access to various tissue parameters (tumor detection, edema, etc.). It is only if we want to go even further in terms of specificity of detection, that it is interesting and even essential to use injectable contrast agents, even if we then partially lose the non-invasive character of MRI. As we shall show, the complexity of these molecules ranges from chemically non-specific agents to so-called "smart" contrast agents.
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KEYWORDS
NMR | magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) | contrast agents | CEST | ParaCEST
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