Our research interests span across the interface of chemistry, biology and medical physics, and focus on the development of next generation magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents (CAs). MRI is one of the major biomedical imaging modalities and is increasingly applied for clinical diagnosis and fundamental research due to its noninvasiveness, high resolution and deep tissue penetration. The key limitations of MRI, however, include low sensitivity and lack of molecular specificity. Next generation MRI CA with improved sensitivity, high molecular selectivity, low toxicity, and optimized pharmacokinetics can greatly enhance and extend the capability of MRI for functional and molecular imaging. These novel molecular imaging probes are powerful diagnostic and research tools, such as for detecting cancer, monitoring certain gene expression, and imaging brain structure and activity in vivo. We are currently focusing on three research directions:
•Multifunctional High Relaxivity T1 MRI CAs;
•Enzyme Activable MRI Reporter;
•New Chemical Probes for Hyperpolarized MRI/MRS
