KFO 213:  Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Cellular and Molecular Magnetic Resonance Imaging

• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: from 2008 to 2016
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 59348373

Magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles offer the potential to experimentally investigate disease mechanisms in living organisms using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and to use these insights for developing new disease-specific non-invasive diagnostic approaches for MRI. In this setting, our Clinical Research Unit, which comprises nine subprojects, investigates a novel type of nanoparticles, so-called monomer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles. These particles were developed by our group to the stage of early clinical phase trials.
Three of the subprojects investigate these particles (radiology), based on current insights and concepts, in order to develop different non-specific and specific monomer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles for molecular and cellular MRI. Two cardiovascular subprojects (radiology, cardiology) perform in vitro (in the test-tube) and in vivo (after intravenous injection) investigations to study new approaches for the early identification of dangerous atherosclerotic lesions using different monomer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles. Such lesions are the main cause of sudden cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction or stroke.
Three neuroscientific subprojects (neurology, neuroimmunology, neuroanatomy) use different monomer-coated iron oxide nanoparticles to investigate mechanisms of inflammation and neovascularisation in models of multiple sclerosis, stroke and glioblastoma and to study in vivo MRI for visualising the migration of specific immunocompetent cells in the central nervous system.
These experiments aim at developing new approaches for the early diagnosis of various diseases of the central nervous system.
The physical subproject (Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt) develops a new measuring technique on the basis of SQUID magnetometry, which allows highly sensitive and spatially resolved detection and quantification of the very small magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles under investigation. This new technique is developed to overcome the problem of inadequate quantification of magnetic nanoparticles in the setting of cellular and molecular MRI and is, in particular, expected to better capture the effects of treatment. A central subproject addresses issues concerning all other subprojects, primarily the standardised production and analysis of the nanoparticles. This is crucial for the intended translation of the experimental approaches into clinical development.

• DFG Programme: Clinical Research Units

Projects

• Aufnahmemechanismen von elektrostatisch stabilisierten Nanpartikeln (MEON) in an atheroklerotischer Plaquebildung beteiligten Zelltypen (Applicants Ludwig, Antje ;  Stangl, Verena )
• Funktionalisierung superparamagnetischer Nanopartikel als Plattform für targetspezifische Marker für die MRT und deren Anwendung für die Apoptose-Bildgebung (Applicants Schellenberger, Eyk ;  Taupitz, Matthias )
• In vivo Untersuchung okkulter neuroinflammatorischer Prozesse in Mausmodellen der Multiplen Sklerose mit elektrostatisch stabilisierten magnetischen Nanopartikeln im Ultrahochfeld-MRT. (Applicants Infante Duarte, Carmen ;  Würfel, Jens )
• Invasion, Migration und Schicksal von monozytären Zellen nach axonaler Schädigung im ZNS: MR-tomographische Untersuchungen mit elektrostatisch stabilisierten, magnetischen Nanopartikeln (Applicants Bräuer, Ph.D., Anja Ursula ;  Glumm, Jana )
• Kernspintomographische Untersuchungen elektrostatisch stabilisierter magnetischer Nanopartikel an enzephalitogenen T-Zellen und im Mausmodell der Multiplen Sklerose (Applicant Zipp, Frauke )
• MRT-Bildgebung von Inflammation und Angiogenese mittels magnetischer Nanopartikel bei experimentellem Schlaganfall und Glioblastom (Applicants Endres, Matthias ;  Harms, Christoph )
• Ortaufgelöste Quantifizierung magnetischer Eisenoxid-Nanopartikel mittels SQUID-Magnetometrie (Applicant Trahms, Lutz )
• Ultrakleine Biomimetische Nanopartikel für die zielgerichtete molekulare und zelluläre MR-Bildgebung (Applicants Schellenberger, Eyk ;  Schnorr, Jörg )
• Untersuchungen zur lokalen Kinetik und zum Anreicherungsverhalten elektrostatisch stabilisierter magnetischer Nanopartikel in atherosklerotischen Plaques (Applicants Taupitz, Matthias ;  Wagner, Susanne )
• Zentralobjekt für standartisierte Synthese, Analytik sowie in vitro- und in vivo-Untersuchungen zu magnetischen Nanopartikeln (Applicant Taupitz, Matthias )

• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Bernd Hamm
• Leader: Professor Dr. Matthias Taupitz