Molecular imaging and contrast agent database adds new agents

The National Insitutes of Health's (NIH) Molecular imaging and contrast agent database (MICAD) has added 13 new (PET, SPECT, MRI) agents.

The new PET agents are [18F] Fluoronicotinamide, which targets melanin; [11C] PEO, which targets opioid receptors and 89Zr-Trastuzumab, which targets epidermal growth factor receptors (HER2).

The SPECT agents added are 111In-MGD5, which targets gastrin/cholecystokinin subtype 2 receptors (CCK-2R); 111In-RM1, which targets gastrin-releasing peptide receptors (GRPR); 131I-labeled RRL peptide, which targets integrin alphav beta3; 99mTc-EC-DG, which targets glucose transporters, hexokinases; 99mTc-N epsilon-49-maGGG-ZHER2:342, which targets epidermal growth factor receptors (HER2; and 99mTc-HYNIC-cys-Annexin A5, which targets phosphatidylserine.

The MRI agents added are USPIO-PEG-OCT, which targets somatostatin receptors (SSTRs); USPIO-PEG-sLeX, which targets E-selectin; iron-labeled mesenchymal stem cells and PDMAAm-coated Fe2O-labeled mesenchymal stem cells.

MICAD is a key component of the “Molecular Libraries and Imaging” program of the NIH Roadmap, which is developed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at NIH. It currently lists 796 agents.

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