Dynamic contrast enhanced MRI method and agents for the assessment of the macromolecular transport within pathologic tissues

1. A Dynamic Contrast Enhanced-Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DCE-MRI) method for classifying a tumor or cancerous mass of an oncologic patient prior to treatment with an anticancer therapy comprising:

a) administering an effective amount of a paramagnetic contrast agent having a molecular weight of 800 to 5000 Da,

displaying a non-covalent binding with Human Serum Albumin of at least 85%, and comprising (i) at least one paramagnetic complex unit and (ii) at least one lipophilic moiety to the oncologic patient;

(b) acquiring DCE-MRI images during the passage of the paramagnetic contrast agent within the oncologic patient;

(c) identifying at least one region of interest within the DCE-MRI images;

(d) obtaining a signal intensity curve within the at least one region of interest, wherein the signal intensity curve contains a plurality of signal intensity values;

(e) converting the signal intensity values into contrast agent concentration values;

(f) drafting a concentration-time curve;

(g) fitting the concentration curve by a pharmacokinetic model;

(h) deriving at least one parameter related to the pharmacokinetics displayed by the paramagnetic contrast agent, wherein the at least one parameter is measured, on a pixel-by-pixel or voxel-by-voxel basis, in at least one region of interest within the tumor or cancerous mass and in at least one reference region in the DCE-MRI images;

(i) calculating a threshold value for the at least one parameter by determining the mean (μ) and standard deviation (σ) of the at least one parameter, on a pixel-by-pixel or voxel-by-voxel basis, in the at least one reference region;

(j) estimating the delivery of the anticancer therapy within the tumor or cancerous mass of the oncologic patient based on the at least one parameter by calculating a fraction D of pixels or voxels in the at least one region of interest having a value of the at least one parameter that exceeds the threshold value for the at least one parameter; and

(k) classifying the tumor or cancerous mass of the oncologic patient as resistant or non-resistant to the anticancer therapy based on the fraction D, wherein the fraction D at least equal to 0.5 indicates that the tumor or cancerous mass of the patient is non-resistant to the anticancer therapy and the fraction D less than 0.5 indicates that the tumor or cancerous mass of the patient is resistant to the anticancer therapy, wherein the anticancer therapy is a macromolecular drug or pro-drug having a size comparable to or greater than that of albumin prior to intravenous injection or reaching the size upon intravenous injection, and wherein classification of the tumor or cancerous mass occurs prior to treatment with the anticancer therapy.

2. A DCE-MRI method according to claim 1 wherein the macromolecular drug or pro-drug is an antibody or an antibody fragment-based anticancer drug.

3. A DCE-MRI method according to claim 2 wherein the macromolecular drug or pro-drug is selected from the group consisting of Alemtuzumab, Bevacimmab, Brentuximab Vedotin, Cetuximab, Gemtuzumab, Ipilimumab, Panitumumab, Trastuzumab, Tositumomab and Rituximab.

4. A DCE-MRI method according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one parameter is selected from the group consisting of: fractional plasma volume (f PV ), volume transfer constant between blood plasma and extravascular extracellular space (K trans ), average signal enhancement (ANVGENH), area under the concentration curve (AUC), area under the signal enhancement curve (AUCE), initial area under the time-concentration curve (IAUC T ), initial area under the time-signal enhancement curve (IAUCE T ), early AUC ratio (EARLYAUCRATIO), late AUC ratio (LATEAUCRATIO), and combinations thereof.

5. A DCE-MRI method according to claim 4 wherein the at least one parameter is selected from the group consisting of K trans and f PV .

6. A DCE-MRI method according to claim 1 wherein the paramagnetic contrast agent has a molecular weight of 800 to 3,000 Da and a terminal half-life value in human blood circulation of at least 4 hours.

7. A DCE-MRI method according to claim 1 wherein the paramagnetic contrast agent displays a non-covalent binding with the Human Serum Albumin higher than 90%.

8. A DCI-MRI method according to claim 1 wherein the paramagnetic contrast agent is a physiologically acceptable salt of a paramagnetic chelated complex selected from the group consisting of: Gadocoletic acid, a gadolinium complex of the MS 325, and a gadolinium complex of the AAZTA-deoxycholic acid.