Fluorine Magnetic Resonance Imaging Methods and Applications in Biomedicine

Image-based biomarkers that report on specific cell phenotypes in the body are highly valued for disease detection and monitoring cytotherapies. Towards this need, there is sustained scientific interest in fluorine-19 (19F) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for in vivo molecular-cellular imaging applications. The attraction of 19F tracer MRI is its ability to produce pure 'hot-spot' images, an absence of false-positive signals, robust quantification, and tracer safety. For molecular-cellular applications, fluorine MRI does not require a pre-scan prior to tracer administration, thus offering several advantages over metal-ion-based proton (1H) contrast-agent approaches. Key applications of 19F MRI include cell tracking, inflammation detection, and biosensing. Fluorinated imaging tracers can also serve as therapeutic agents or drug-delivery vehicles. Over the past decade, the field of 19F MRI has seen remarkable innovation in tracer designs and detection methods as well as the realization of its clinical potential. This book is an interdisciplinary compendium detailing cutting-edge science and biomedical research in the emerging field of 19F MRI and includes technical issues, such as pulse sequence considerations and limits of detection of the techniques; synthesis of novel 19F MRI tracer agents; inflammation, cancer, and stroke imaging; regenerative brain repair; theranostic nanomedicine; and clinical perspectives. The book will appeal to investigators involved in MRI physics, biomedicine, immunology, pharmacology, and probe chemistry as well as general readers.