Contrast Agents and Their Use in MRIs

Logan McFadden* and Brian Dolinar

C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506

Presentation Category: Physical Sciences & Engineering (Poster Presentation #148)

Student’s Major: Chemistry

Contrast agents are a major part of MRIs and are used to help doctors better process and understand images taken. Typically these agents are made using gadolinium which is a heavy metal and these agents are injected into a vein in your arm and excreted through the kidneys. Gadolinium is a heavy metal which means it is hard on your body to excrete and if used too often on a person can cause kidney damage. The goal of my research is to create new contrast agents that are easy on a person’s body and easier to excrete from the body. Inside the lab, I have been creating lanthanide salts and organic compounds that will be used in the process of creating new contrast agents. These compounds once made are used by other members of the lab in their research to help create these new contrast agents. So far no results have been reached with the progress made in the lab. I predict that new compounds will be made in the future that can be used as MRI contrast agents as well as being easier on the human body. These predicted results could lead to even more contrast agents being made that continue to become healthier and safer.

Funding:

Program/mechanism supporting research/creative efforts: WVU's Research Apprenticeship Program (RAP) & accompanying HONR 297-level course