Radiographic contrast agents for temporal subtraction and dual-energy x-ray imaging

US11337665B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-11337665-B2
Application numberUS-201414776232-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateMar 13, 2014
Priority dateMar 15, 2013
Publication dateMay 24, 2022
Grant dateMay 24, 2022

How to read this patent

A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.

  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

Contrast agents for x-ray imaging including stabilized metal nanoparticles and encapsulated nanoparticles, as well as methods for imaging tissue with these agents, are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods of dual energy x-ray imaging using metal nanoparticle contrast agents or encapsulated metal nanoparticles.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

What is claimed is: 1. A method of x-ray imaging of tissue in a subject, comprising: introducing to tissue a contrast agent comprising stabilized, individual metal nanoparticles, wherein the metal of the stabilized, individual metal nanoparticles has a k-edge value and the metal nanoparticles are selected from the group consisting of silver, rhodium, palladium, cadmium, bismuth, zirconium, tin, platinum, and molybdenum, the stabilized, individual metal nanoparticles further comprising a shell and comprising a coating disposed on the shell, wherein the coating comprises polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), PEG-polycaprolactone (PCL), PEG-polylactic acid (PLA), PEG-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), amine-modified or unmodified poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene) (PMAL), or PEG-phospholipids; and acquiring an x-ray image of the tissue in the subject. 2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said subject is human. 3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said tissue is breast tissue. 4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contrast agent lacks an active targeting agent. 5. A method of dual energy x-ray imaging of tissue in a subject, comprising: (a) administering to said subject a metal nanoparticle contrast agent comprising stabilized, individual metal nanoparticles, wherein the metal of the nanoparticles has a k-edge value and the metal of the nanoparticles is selected from the group consisting of silver, rhodium, palladium, cadmium, bismuth, zirconium, tin, platinum, and molybdenum, the stabilized, individual metal nanoparticles further comprising a shell and comprising a coating disposed on the shell, wherein the coating comprises polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), PEG-polycaprolactone (PCL), PEG-polylactic acid (PLA), PEG-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), amine-modified or unmodified poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene) (PMAL), PEG-phospholipids or phospholipids; (b) acquiring an x-ray image of the tissue in the subject with a low energy spectrum; and (c) acquiring an x-ray image of the tissue in the subject with a high energy spectrum, and the k-edge value of the metal of the nanoparticles being between the low energy spectrum and the high energy spectrum. 6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the low energy spectrum comprises a low energy spectrum filtered with a molybdenum filter. 7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the low energy spectrum comprises a low energy spectrum filtered with a rhodium filter. 8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the low energy spectrum comprises a low energy spectrum filtered with a silver filter. 9. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the low energy spectrum comprises a low energy spectrum filtered with a tin filter. 10. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the high energy spectrum comprises a high energy spectrum filtered with an aluminum filter. 11. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the high energy spectrum comprises a higher energy spectrum filtered with a copper filter. 12. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said subject is human. 13. The method according to claim 5 , wherein said tissue is breast tissue. 14. The method of claim 5 , wherein kVp of the low energy spectrum is from about 23 to about 32 keV. 15. The method of claim 5 , wherein kVp of the high energy spectrum is from about 36 to about 49 keV. 16. The method of claim 5 , wherein the contrast agent lacks an active targeting agent. 17. A method of x-ray imaging of tissue in a subject, comprising: effecting introduction of a contrast agent to a tissue; the contrast agent comprising stabilized, individual metal nanoparticles that comprise a shell and a coating disposed on the shell, wherein the coating comprises polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), PEG-polycaprolactone (PCL), PEG-polylactic acid (PLA), PEG-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), amine-modified or unmodified poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene) (PMAL), PEG-phospholipids or phospholipids, wherein the metal of the stabilized metal nanoparticles has a k-edge value and the stabilized metal nanoparticles comprise a metal selected from the group consisting of silver, rhodium, palladium, cadmium, bismuth, zirconium, tin, platinum, and molybdenum; acquiring an x-ray image of the tissue in the subject via dual energy x-ray imaging, the dual energy x-ray imaging comprising (a) an x-ray image of the tissue in the subject with a low energy spectrum; and (b) an x-ray image of the tissue in the subject with a high energy spectrum, the k-edge value of the metal of the nanoparticles being between the low energy spectrum and the high energy spectrum. 18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the contrast agent lacks an active targeting agent. 19. A method of x-ray imaging of tissue in a subject, comprising: introducing to tissue a contrast agent comprising stabilized, individual metal nanoparticles, wherein the metal of the stabilized, individual metal nanoparticles has a k-edge value and the metal nanoparticles are selected from the group consisting of silver, rhodium, palladium, cadmium, bismuth, zirconium, tin, platinum, and molybdenum, the stabilized, individual metal nanoparticles further comprising a shell and comprising a coating disposed on the shell; and acquiring an x-ray image of the tissue in the subject, wherein the shell comprises (i) a hydrophobic polymer that comprises poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) or polylactic acid (PLA) or (ii) an oil. 20. A method of dual energy x-ray imaging of tissue in a subject, comprising: (a) administering to said subject a metal nanoparticle contrast agent comprising stabilized, individual metal nanoparticles, wherein the metal of the nanoparticles has a k-edge value and the metal of the nanoparticles is selected from the group consisting of silver, rhodium, palladium, cadmium, bismuth, zirconium, tin, platinum, and molybdenum, the stabilized, individual metal nanoparticles further comprising a shell and comprising a coating disposed on the shell, wherein the shell comprises a hydrophobic polymer or an oil, (b) acquiring an x-ray image of the tissue in the subject with a low energy spectrum; and (c) acquiring an x-ray image of the tissue in the subject with a high energy spectrum, wherein the k-edge value of the metal of the nanoparticles is between the low energy spectrum and the high energy spectrum. 21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the shell comprises the hydrophobic polymer poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) or polylactic acid (PLA). 22. A method of x-ray imaging of tissue in a subject, comprising: effecting introduction of a contrast agent to a tissue, the contrast agent comprising stabilized, individual metal nanoparticles that comprise a shell and a coating disposed on the shell, wherein the shell comprises a hydrophobic polymer or an oil, wherein the metal of the stabilized metal nanoparticles has a k-edge value and the stabilized metal nanoparticles comprise a metal selected from the group consisting of silver, rhodium, palladium, cadmium, bismuth, zirconium, tin, platinum, and molybdenum; acquiring an x-ray image of the tissue in the subject via dual energy x-ray imaging, the dual energy x-ray imaging comprising (a) an x-ray image of the tissue in the subject with a low energy spectrum; and (b) an x-ray image of the tissue in the subject with a high energy spectrum, the k-edge value of the metal of the nanoparticles being between the low energy spectrum and the high ene

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • Nanoparticles, nanobeads, nanospheres, nanocapsules, i.e. having a size or diameter smaller than 1 micrometer · CPC title

  • involving multiple energy imaging · CPC title

  • A61B6/481Primary

    involving the use of contrast agents · CPC title

  • Alcohols; Phenols; Salts thereof, e.g. glycerol; Polyethylene glycols [PEG]; Poloxamers; PEG/POE alkyl ethers · CPC title

  • Inorganic compounds · CPC title

Patent family

Related publications grouped by family.

External sources

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.

What does patent US11337665B2 cover?
Contrast agents for x-ray imaging including stabilized metal nanoparticles and encapsulated nanoparticles, as well as methods for imaging tissue with these agents, are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods of dual energy x-ray imaging using metal nanoparticle contrast agents or encapsulated metal nanoparticles.
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Univ Pennsylvania
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification A61K49/0423. Mapped technology areas include Human Necessities.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue May 24 2022 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 8 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).