METHODS FOR IMAGING USING SPCCT
The present invention relates to a method for imaging an anatomical structure in a subject in need thereof, comprising the following steps: a) providing an injectable pharmaceutical composition comprising, as a contrast agent, at least one nanoparticle having a mean hydrodynamic diameter below 10 nm and comprising: a biocompatible matrix, such as polyorganosiloxane, at least one chelating agent covalently bonded to said biocompatible matrix, at least one element having a Z of at least 40, chelated to at least a part of the chelating agents, b) injecting an effective amount of said pharmaceutical to said subject, and, c) acquiring an imaging scan of an anatomical structure of said subject in need thereof, by Spectral Photon Counting Computed Tomography (SPCCT) scanning.
1 - 15 . (canceled)
16 . A method for imaging an anatomical structure in a subject in need thereof, comprising steps of:
a) providing an injectable pharmaceutical composition comprising, as a contrast agent, at least one nanoparticle having a mean hydrodynamic diameter between 1 nm and 10 nm and comprising:
a biocompatible matrix,
at least one chelating agent covalently bound to said biocompatible matrix, and
at least one element having a Z of at least 40, chelated to at least a part of the chelating agent,
b) injecting an effective amount of said pharmaceutical composition to said subject, and,
c) acquiring a scan image of the anatomical structure of said subject, by Spectral Counting Computed Tomography (SPCCT) scanning.
17 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the biocompatible matrix is a polyorganosiloxane matrix.
18 . The method according to claim 17 , wherein the at least one nanoparticle comprises:
polyorganosiloxane with a silicon weight ratio of at least 8% of the total weight of the nanoparticle,
chelating agent covalently bound to said polyorganosiloxane, in a proportion comprised between 4 and 200 per nanoparticle, and,
at least one element having a Z of at least 40 chelated to at least a part of the chelating agent.
19 . The method according to claim 18 , wherein the polyorganosiloxane has a silicon weight ratio between 8% and 50%.
20 . The method according to claim 18 , wherein the chelating agent is bound to said polyorganosiloxane in a proportion comprised between 4 and 80 per nanoparticle.
21 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein said chelating agent is one or more of DOTA, DTPA, EDTA, EGTA, BAPTA, NOTA, DOTAGA, DFO, DOTAM and DTPABA.
22 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the element having a Z of at least 40 is selected from in the group consisting of lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, rhenium, osmium, iridium, platinum, gold and bismuth.
23 . The method according to claim 22 , wherein the element having a Z of at least 40 is gadolinium or bismuth.
24 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the at least one nanoparticle is a gadolinium-chelated polyorganosiloxane nanoparticle of formula:
wherein POS is a matrix of polyorganosiloxane, and
n is comprised between 4 and 200, and
wherein said at least one nanoparticle has a mean hydrodynamic diameter between 2 and 8 nm.
25 . The method according to claim 24 , wherein n is comprised between 4 and 80.
26 . The method according to claim 24 , wherein said at least one nanoparticle has a mean hydrodynamic diameter between 2 and 6 nm.
27 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein said method is used for arterial or veinous angiographic imaging of said subject.
28 . The method according to claim 27 , wherein an efficient amount of said pharmaceutical composition is administered via intra-arterial or intravenous route.
29 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein said method is used for cardio-vascular imaging of said subject.
30 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein at step c) said scan image is acquired for a period of time comprised between 5 minutes and 10 minutes.
31 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein said method is used for diagnosing a condition in said subject, and wherein said method further comprises a step of:
d) analyzing the scan image obtained, thereby diagnosing said condition.
32 . The method according to claim 31 , wherein said condition is selected from the group consisting of ischemia, myocardial infarction, and stroke.
33 . The method according to claim 31 , wherein said condition is a myocardial infarction and said method is used for diagnosing a zone at risk and a size of an infarction before and after revascularization.
34 . The method according to claim 33 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition is administered in combination with an iodine contrast agent.
35 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein said method is used for diagnosing and treating a tumor in said subject in need thereof, and wherein said method further comprises steps of:
d) analyzing the scan image obtained, thereby diagnosing presence of said tumor, and
e) treating said tumor with said nanoparticle as a radiosensitizing agent in combination with radiation therapy.
36 . The method according to claim 35 , wherein said tumor is a solid tumor.
37 . The method according to claim 36 , wherein said solid tumor is selected from the group consisting of glioblastoma, brain metastases, meningioma, and primary tumor of uterine cervix, rectum, lung, head and neck, prostate, colorectal, liver, and pancreas.
38 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein said method is used for diagnosing and treating a cardiac disorder in said subject in need thereof, wherein the anatomical structure that is imaged is myocardium, and wherein said method further comprises steps of:
d) analyzing the scan image obtained, and identifying pathological myocardium, and
e) treating said subject by irradiating the pathological myocardium by radiotherapy in the presence of an effective amount of said nanoparticle as radiosensitizing agent.
39 . The method according to claim 38 , wherein said method further comprises a step of:
f) acquiring a scan image of the myocardium of said subject in need thereof after step e) via SPCCT scanning in order to evaluate the efficiency and tolerability of the treatment of step e).
40 . The method according to claim 38 , wherein in step e), irradiating the pathological myocardium is carried out by stereotaxic radiotherapy.
41 . The method according to claim 38 , wherein in step b) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is used instead of SPCCT scanning.