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Entwicklung und Evaluierung neuer niedrig-molekularer Sonden für die Charakterisierung von Gefäßerkrankungen mittels der Magnetresonanztomographie

Subject Area Medical Physics, Biomedical Technology
Term from 2014 to 2020
Project identifier Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 269366119
 
Final Report Year 2021

Final Report Abstract

The main findings of this project were: • It could be shown that the in vivo assessment of the arterial vessel wall on a molecular level allowed a biological characterisation of early pathological vessel wall changes and thereby improve the staging of vascular diseases and enable more accurate monitoring of therapy response. • To extend the classical single-probe approach in MR imaging, a simultaneous dual-probe approach for the assessment of ECM proteins and inflammatory activity within a single MR session was investigated. • Using this multi-probe molecular MRI approach in mouse-model of progressive atherosclerosis, the temporal association between intraplaque inflammation and remodeling of elastic fibers of the ECM could be investigated for the first time in a single scan. • The in vivo dual-probe imaging of murine AAAs using an elastin / collagenspecific probe simultaneously with iron oxide particles enabled an accurate monitoring of dissecting AAA development in different stages of the disease. Moreover, combining an ECM protein-specific and an inflammation-specific probe, the rupture of murine AAAs could be predicted with a higher diagnostic accuracy compared to using a classical single probe alone. • An interesting and surprising part of this project arose in the context of investigating the role of biglycan in the context of atherosclerosis ex vivo. Here we also focused on its main aggrecanases ADAMTS-4, which has biglycan as its substrate. • While investigating ADAMTS-4 in different stages of the atherosclerotic plaque in our mouse model, we found that the differences in expression of ADAMTS-4 between early and advanced atherosclerotic plaque was significantly higher compared to differences measured for biglycan. ADAMTS-4 therefore represents a more promising imaging biomarker for the development of advanced atherosclerotic plaque. We therefore shifted the focus of this subproject on the development of an ADAMTS-4 specific MR probe. Overall, this project contributed to the understanding of the role of the extracellular matrix and proinflammatory macrophages during the development of atherosclerotic plaque and aortic aneurysms. Especially the multi-probe molecular MRI approach enables the simultaneous assessment of matrix remodeling and inflammatory activity during the development of different stages of vascular diseases. These new imaging parameters may complement already established morphological parameters, such as the vascular diameter, and may therefore improve especially the prediction of risk of aortic and plaque rupture.

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