Synopsis
In light of the recent
demand for new tools that will allow better investigation of complex biological
processes, a new field has evolved at the interfaces of synthetic chemistry,
molecular engineering, and cellular imaging. Label-free molecular probes based
on diaCEST agents for molecular and cellular imaging applications provide the
scientific community with unprecedented versatility to monitor wide range of
biological events in health and disease. Although diaCEST molecular sensors
should be further developed, their performances marks the dawn of a new
scientific era for molecular and cellular MRI
Target audience
The
presented talk is for scientists and clinicians who are interested in using
diaCEST probes, and who wish to learn about their promises and pitfallsOutcome/Objectives
The
presentation will give the audience an overview of already developed and used
diaCEST probes and provide the learners with the basic knowledge needed to
design novel diaCEST probes for applications of interest (i.e., monitoring
reporter genes expression, pH, etc.)Purpose
The
presentation will shed light on the design and use of DiaCEST probes, from the
synthesis point of view through their potential applications and remaining
challenges in the fieldDiscussion
One
of the most attractive features of diaCEST imaging is its ability to detect
metal-free molecular probes. Such
biomolecules are either naturally occurring compounds (amino acids, sugars,
nucleosides, native proteins) or can be artificially engineered (synthetic
probes or recombinant proteins). They can be administered either as exogenous
agents or can be genetically (over) expressed. Moreover, they can be precisely
engineered to achieve the desired biochemical properties for fine-tuning
optimized imaging schemes. The availability of these imaging probes and their
versatility allow their use in wide range of applications in molecular imaging
from monitoring glucose uptake, through studying reporter gene expression, pH
changes and metal ions levelsConclusion
The
rising field of diaCEST MRI offers chemists, biologists and clinicians the opportunity
to design large arrays of metal-free MRI sensors that can tackle particular
questions. The prevention of metal element as part of the imaging probe should
be a great advantage when a proposed imaging probes is considered for clinical
translationAcknowledgements
No acknowledgement found.References
ACS Chem. Biol., 2015, 10 (5), pp 1160–1170