3D bone-scanning technique without X-ray radiation exposure
A new revolutionary bone-scanning technique that produces extremely high-resolution 3D images without exposing patients to X-ray radiation has been developed by chemists from Trinity College Dublin, in collaboration with RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland).
Luminescent compounds are attached to tiny gold structures to form biologically safe ‘nanoagents’. These nanoagents are attracted to calcium-rich surfaces that appear when bones crack, even at a micro level. They then target and highlight the cracks in bones and allows researchers to produce a complete 3D image of the damaged regions.
One of the major implications of this technique in the health sector is that it can be used to diagnose bone strength and provide a detailed blueprint of the extent and precise positioning of any weakness or injury. It should also help prevent the need for bone implants in many cases, and act as an early-warning system for people at a high risk of degenerative bone diseases, such as osteoporosis.
The research, led by the Trinity team of Professor of Chemistry, Thorri Gunnlaugsson, and Postdoctoral Researcher, Esther Surender, has just been published in the journal Chem.
Professor Gunnlaugsson said: “This work is the outcome of many years of successful collaboration between chemists from Trinity and medical and engineering experts from RCSI. We have demonstrated that we can achieve a three-dimensional map of bone damage, showing the so-called microcracks, using non-invasive luminescence imaging. The nanoagent we have developed allows us to visualize the nature and the extent of the damage in a manner that wasn’t previously possible. This is a major step forward in our endeavor to develop targeted contrast agents for bone diagnostics for use in clinical applications.”
According to RCSI’s Professor of Anatomy, Clive Lee, microcracks develop in our bones due to the load of everyday activities but they are repaired by a remodeling process. When the microcracks develop faster, they exceed the repair rate, accumulate, and weaken our bones.
“By using our new nanoagent to label microcracks and detecting them with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we hope to measure both bone quantity and quality and identify those at greatest risk of fracture and institute appropriate therapy. Diagnosing weak bones before they break should therefore reduce the need for operations and implants – prevention is better than cure,” he said.
In addition to the unprecedented resolution of this imaging technique, another major step forward lies in it not exposing X-rays to patients. X-rays emit radiation and have, in some cases, been associated with an increased risk of cancer. The red emitting gold-based nanoagents used in this alternative technique are biologically safe – gold has been used safely by medics in a variety of ways in the body for some time.
Dr. Surender said that nanoagents have great potential for clinical application. They were able to lower the overall concentration of the agent that would have to be administered within the body by using gold nanoparticles. They were also able to image bone structure using long wavelength excitation, which is not harmful or damaging to biological tissues, by using what is called ‘two-photon excitation’.
She added: “These nanoagents are similar to the contrast agents that are currently being utilized for MRI within the clinic, and hence have the potential to provide a novel means of medical bone diagnosis in the future. Specifically, by replacing the Europium with its sister ion Gadolinium, we can tune into the MRI activity of these nanoagents for future use alongside X-ray and computed tomography (CT) scans.”
Category: Features, Technology & Devices
