Light imaging contrast agents

• US 6,159,445 A
• Filed: 12/04/1997
• Issued: 12/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Healthcare As (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Nycomed Imaging AS (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Henrichs, Paul Mark, Desai, Vinay C., Fuglass, Bjorn, Heinrich, Wolfgang Hans, Rongved, P.ang.al, Klaveness, Jo, Johannesen, Edvin, Bacon, Edward Richard, Toner, John Luke, McIntire, Gregory Lynn
• Primary Examiner(s): Dees, Jose G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hartley, Michael G.
• Application Number:
  US08/984,771
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 424/9.6, 424/9.4, 424/9.52, 424/9.61, 424/450, 424/9.1, 600/310, 600/314, 600/317, 600/473, 600/476
• US Class Current: 424/9.6
• CPC Class Codes: A61K 49/001 Preparation for luminescence or biological staining
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 5/00 Nanobiotechnology or nanomedicine, e.g. protein engineering or drug delivery

Abstract

The present invention relates to the use of particulate materials as contrast agents in vivo light imaging.

Claims

1. A method of generating an image of the human or non-human animal body by in vivo diagnostic light imaging, characterized in that a physiologically tolerable, chromophore- and fluorophore-free particulate contrast agent is administered into said body and an image of at least part of said body containing said particulate agent is generated.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said image is a spatial image.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said image is a temporal image.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said image is generated from light transmitting through at least part of said body.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said image is generated from light reflected from at least part of said body.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said image is of vasculature in said body.

7. A method as claimed claim 1 wherein said image is of a phagocytic organ in said body.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein light is emitted and detected endoscopically.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said body is irradiated with monochromatic light.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the particle size of said particulate agent is from λ

/4Π

to λ

/Π

, where λ

is the wavelength of said monochromatic light.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 wherein said particle size is about λ

/2Π

.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said agent comprises gas-microbubbles.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said agent comprises solid or liquid particles.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said agent comprises liposomes.

15. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said particulate agent comprises micelles.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said image is generated by a light imaging technique selected from confocal scanning laser microscopy, optical coherence tomography, and laser doppler and laser speckle techniques.

17. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein said body is illuminated with light of a wavelength in the range 600 to 1300 nm and said image is generated using detected scattered light of a wavelength in the range 600 to 1300 nm.

18. A method as claimed in claim 17 wherein the particles of said particulate agent have a mean particle size in the range 600 to 1300 nm.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18 wherein the coefficient of variation of the particle size of said particles is less than 10%.

20. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein said image is an image of a part of said body no more than 1 mm below an exposed or endoscopically accessed surface thereof.

21. A method as claimed in claim 20 wherein said image is an image of part of the skin.

22. A method as claimed in claim 20 wherein said image is an image of a part of said body no more than 1 mm below a surgically exposed surface.

23. A method as claimed in claim 16 wherein said particles are selected from polymer particles, and iodinated organic compound particles.