Recent Advances in Metal-Organic Frameworks for Applications in Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Medical Imaging
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Diagnostics are crucial in medicine, often relying on imaging techniques like Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
• Contrast agents enhance MRI sensitivity and specificity, improving diagnostic accuracy.
• Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are emerging as promising materials for novel contrast agents due to their tunable properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the recent advancements in the use of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and their composites as contrast agents for MRI.
• To categorize MOF-based materials for MRI applications based on their design and structure.
• To provide an overview of MOF applications in heteronuclear MRI, including 129Xe and 19F MRI.

Main Methods:

• Literature review focusing on studies published within the last five years.
• Classification of MOF-based materials into three categories: MRI-active MOFs, MOF composites, and MOFs loaded with MRI-active compounds.
• Analysis of the design and structural properties influencing MRI contrast enhancement.

Main Results:

• MOFs offer high design variety and metal ion density, making them suitable for MRI contrast agent development.
• Recent research has focused on three main classes of MOF-based materials for MRI.
• MOF-based materials are also being explored for advanced heteronuclear MRI techniques.

Conclusions:

• Metal-organic frameworks represent a highly promising class of materials for developing next-generation MRI contrast agents.
• The structural diversity and high metal content of MOFs enable tailored properties for improved MRI performance.
• Continued research into MOF-based materials is expected to significantly advance MRI diagnostic capabilities.