Pendant fatty acid imaging agents

1. An imaging agent represented by the structure:

wherein

R 3 is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen or methyl;

p is an integer selected from 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, or 8;

R 7 is a metal chelating moiety bound to a metallic carbonyl ligand;

wherein the stereochemical configuration of the imaging agent can be a R-stereoisomer or a S-stereoisomer or mixtures thereof at each stereocenter, and

pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.

2. A composition comprising the imaging agent of claim 1 , wherein the stereochemical configuration of the imaging agent is a R-stereoisomer and the composition is of more than about 75% isomeric purity.

3. A composition comprising the imaging agent of claim 1 , wherein the stereochemical configuration of the imaging agent is a S-stereoisomer and the composition is of more than about 75% isomeric purity.

4. The imaging agent of claim 1 , wherein R 3 is methyl.

5. The imaging agent of claim 1 , wherein the metallic carbonyl ligand is selected from a radionuclide carbonyl ligand or a rhenium-carbonyl ligand.

6. The imaging agent of claim 5 , wherein the radionuclide carbonyl ligand is a 99m Tc-carbonyl ligand.

7. The imaging agent of claim 1 , wherein the metallic carbonyl ligand comprises a low oxidation state metal.

8. A kit comprising the imaging agent of claim 1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

9. A method of identifying a lesion, comprising administering to a patient a imaging agent of claim 1 .

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the lesion is in the cardiovascular system.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the imaging agent has a high specificity for the myocardium.

12. An imaging agent of the formula:

13. A kit comprising the imaging agent of claim 12 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier.

14. A method of identifying a lesion, comprising administering to a patient an imaging agent of claim 12 .

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the imaging agent has a high specificity for the myocardium.