Protein MRI Contrast Agents as an Effective Approach for Precision Molecular Imaging

Cancer and other acute and chronic diseases are results of perturbations of common molecular determinants in key biological and signaling processes. Imaging is critical for characterizing dynamic changes in tumors and metastases, the tumor microenvironment, tumor-stroma interactions, and drug targets, at multiscale levels. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged to be a primary imaging modality for both clinical and preclinical applications due to its advantages over other modalities, including sensitivity to soft tissues, nondepth limitations, and the use of nonionizing radiation. However, extending the application of MRI to achieve both qualitative and quantitative precise molecular imaging with the capability to quantify molecular biomarkers for early detection, staging, and monitoring therapeutic treatment requires the capacity to overcome several major challenges including the trade-off between metal-binding affinity and relaxivity, which is an issue frequently associated with small chelator contrast agents. In this review, we will introduce the criteria of ideal contrast agents for precision molecular imaging and discuss the relaxivity of current contrast agents with defined first shell coordination water molecules. We will then report our advances in creating a new class of protein-targeted MRI contrast agents (ProCAs) with contributions to relaxivity largely derived from the secondary sphere and correlation time. We will summarize our rationale, design strategy, and approaches to the development and optimization of our pioneering ProCAs with desired high relaxivity, metal stability, and molecular biomarker-targeting capability, for precision MRI. From first generation (ProCA1) to third generation (ProCA32), we have achieved dual high r1 and r2 values that are 6- to 10-fold higher than clinically approved contrast agents at magnetic fields of 1.5 T, and their relaxivity values at high field are also significantly higher, which enables high resolution during small animal imaging. Further engineering of multiple targeting moieties enables ProCA32 agents that have strong biomarker-binding affinity and specificity for an array of key molecular biomarkers associated with various chronic diseases, while maintaining relaxation and exceptional metal-binding and selectivity, serum stability, and resistance to transmetallation, which are critical in mitigating risks associated with metal toxicity. Our leading product ProCA32.collagen has enabled the first early detection of liver metastasis from multiple cancers at early stages by mapping the tumor environment and early stage of fibrosis from liver and lung in vivo, with strong translational potential to extend to precision MRI for preclinical and clinical applications for precision diagnosis and treatment.