TY - JOUR A1 - Kader, A. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Mangarova, D. B. A1 - Moeckel, J. A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Adams, L. C. A1 - Zhao, J. A1 - Reimann, C. A1 - Saatz, Jessica A1 - Traub, Heike A1 - Buchholz, R. A1 - Karst, U. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Makowski, M. R. T1 - Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Visualization of Prostate Cancer in MRI N2 - Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers in men. For detection and diagnosis of PCa, non-invasive methods, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can reduce the risk potential of surgical intervention. To explore the molecular characteristics of the tumor, we investigated the applicability of ferumoxytol in PCa in a xenograft mouse model in two different tumor volumes, 500 mm3 and 1000 mm3. Macrophages play a key role in tumor progression, and they are able to internalize iron-oxide particles, such as ferumoxytol. When evaluating T2*-weighted sequences on MRI, a significant decrease of signal intensity between pre- and post-contrast images for each tumor volume (n = 14; p < 0.001) was measured. We, furthermore, observed a higher signal loss for a tumor volume of 500 mm3 than for 1000 mm3. These findings were confirmed by histological examinations and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The 500 mm3 tumors had 1.5% iron content (n = 14; sigma = 1.1), while the 1000 mm3 tumors contained only 0.4% iron (n = 14; sigma = 0.2). In vivo MRI data demonstrated a correlation with the ex vivo data (R2 = 0.75). The results of elemental analysis by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry correlated strongly with the MRI data (R2 = 0.83) (n = 4). Due to its long retention time in the blood, biodegradability, and low toxicity to patients, ferumoxytol has great potential as a contrast agent for visualization PCa. KW - Imaging KW - Nanoparticle KW - Cancer KW - Iron oxide KW - ICP-MS KW - Magnetic resonance imaging PY - 2022 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-550075 VL - 14 IS - 12 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - MDPI CY - Basel, Switzerland AN - OPUS4-55007 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kader, A. A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Reimann, C. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Mangarova, D. B. A1 - Moeckel, J. A1 - Adams, L. C. A1 - Zhao, J. A1 - Saatz, Jessica A1 - Traub, Heike A1 - Buchholz, R. A1 - Karst, U. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Makowski, M. R. T1 - Visualization and Quantification of the Extracellular Matrix in Prostate Cancer Using an Elastin Specific Molecular Probe N2 - One of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in men is prostate cancer (PCa). Understanding tumor progression can help diagnose and treat the disease at an early stage. Components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) play a key role in the development and progression of PCa. Elastin is an essential component of the ECM and constantly changes during tumor development. This article visualizes and quantifies elastin in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using a small molecule probe. Results were correlated with histological examinations. Using an elastin-specific molecular probe, we were able to make predictions about the cellular structure in relation to elastin and thus draw conclusions about the size of the tumor, with smaller tumors having a higher elastin content than larger tumors. Human prostate cancer (PCa) is a type of malignancy and one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in men. Elastin is an important component of the extracellular matrix and is involved in the structure and organization of prostate tissue. The present study examined prostate cancer in a xenograft mouse model using an elastin-specific molecular probe for magnetic resonance molecular imaging. Two different tumor sizes (500 mm3 and 1000 mm3) were compared and analyzed by MRI in vivo and histologically and analytically ex vivo. The T1-weighted sequence was used in a clinical 3-T scanner to calculate the relative contrast enhancement before and after probe administration. Our results show that the use of an elastin-specific probe enables better discrimination between tumors and surrounding healthy tissue. Furthermore, specific binding of the probe to elastin fibers was confirmed by histological examination and laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Smaller tumors showed significantly higher signal intensity (p > 0.001), which correlates with the higher proportion of elastin fibers in the histological evaluation than in larger tumors. A strong correlation was seen between relative enhancement (RE) and Elastica–van Gieson staining (R2 = 0.88). RE was related to inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry data for Gd and showed a correlation (R2 = 0.78). Thus, molecular MRI could become a novel quantitative tool for the early evaluation and detection of PCa. KW - Magnetic resonance imaging KW - MRI KW - Molecular imaging KW - Cancer KW - LA-ICP-MS PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-538410 VL - 10 IS - 11 SP - 1 EP - 14 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-53841 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Möckel, J. A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Reimann, C. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Sack, I. A1 - Mangarova, D. B. A1 - Kader, A. A1 - Taupitz, M. A1 - Adams, L. C. A1 - Keller, S. A1 - Ludwig, A. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Botnar, R. M. A1 - Makowski, M. R. T1 - Assessment of Albumin ECM Accumulation and Inflammation as Novel In Vivo Diagnostic Targets for Multi-Target MR Imaging N2 - Atherosclerosis is a progressive inflammatory vascular disease characterized by endothelial dysfunction and plaque burden. Extracellular matrix (ECM)-associated plasma proteins play an important role in disease development. Our magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study investigates the feasibility of using two different molecular MRI probes for the simultaneous assessment of ECM-associated intraplaque albumin deposits caused by endothelial damage and progressive inflammation in atherosclerosis. Male apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE-/-)-mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) for 2 or 4 months. Another ApoE-/--group was treated with pravastatin and received a HFD for 4 months. T1- and T2*-weighted MRI was performed before and after albumin-specific MRI probe (gadofosveset) administration and a macrophage-specific contrast agent (ferumoxytol). Thereafter, laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and histology were performed. With advancing atherosclerosis, albumin-based MRI signal enhancement and ferumoxytol-induced signal loss areas in T2*-weighted MRI increased. Significant correlations between contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR) post-gadofosveset and albumin stain (R2 = 0.78, p < 0.05), and signal loss areas in T2*-weighted MRI with Perls’ Prussian blue stain (R2 = 0.83, p < 0.05) were observed. No interference of ferumoxytol with gadofosveset enhancement was detectable. Pravastatin led to decreased inflammation and intraplaque albumin. Multi-target MRI combining ferumoxytol and gadofosveset is a promising method to improve diagnosis and treatment monitoring in atherosclerosis. KW - Magnetic resonance imaging KW - MRI KW - Imaging KW - Human serum albumin KW - Extracellular matrix KW - Macrophages KW - Contrast agent KW - Atherosclerotic plaques KW - Gadofosveset KW - Aneurysm PY - 2021 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-536725 VL - 10 IS - 10 SP - 1 EP - 16 PB - MDPI CY - Basel AN - OPUS4-53672 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Adams, L. C. A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Reimann, C. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Nowak, K. A1 - Buchholz, R. A1 - Karst, U. A1 - Botnar, R. M. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Makowski, M. R. T1 - Noninvasive imaging of vascular permeability to predict the risk of rupture in abdominal aortic aneurysms using an albumin binding probe N2 - Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) remains a fatal disease. Its development encompasses a complex interplay between hemodynamic stimuli on and changes in the arterial wall. Currently available biomarkers fail to predict the risk of AAA rupture independent of aneurysm size. Therefore, novel biomarkers for AAA characterization are needed. In this study, we used a mouse model of AAA to investigate the potential of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with an albumin-binding probe to assess changes in vascular permeability at different stages of aneurysm growth. Two imaging studies were performed: a longitudinal study with follow-up and death as endpoint to predict rupture risk and a week-by-week study to characterize AAA development. AAAs, which eventually ruptured, demonstrated a significantly higher in vivo MR signal enhancement from the albumin-binding probe (p = 0.047) and a smaller non-enhancing thrombus area compared to intact AAAs (p = 0.001). The ratio of albumin-binding-probe enhancement of the aneurysm wall to size of non-enhancing-thrombus-area predicted AAA rupture with high sensitivity/specificity (100%/86%). More advanced aneurysms with higher vascular permeability demonstrated an increased uptake of the albumin-binding-probe. These results indicate that MRI with an albumin-binding probe may enable noninvasive assessment of vascular permeability in murine AAAs and prediction of rupture risk. KW - Magnetic resonance imaging KW - Imaging KW - Tomography KW - Gadolinium KW - Contrast agent KW - Atherosclerosis KW - ICP-MS KW - Gadofosveset KW - Angiography KW - LA-ICP-MS PY - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-525541 VL - 10 SP - Article number: 3231 PB - Springer Nature Limited CY - London, New York, Berlin, Shanghai and Tokyo AN - OPUS4-52554 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Adams, L. C. A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Reimann, C. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Buchholz, R. A1 - Karst, U. A1 - Botnar, R. M. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Makowski, M. R. T1 - Simultaneous molecular MRI of extracellular matrix collagen and inflammatory activity to predict abdominal aortic aneurysm rupture N2 - Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a life-threatening vascular disease with an up to 80% mortality in case of rupture. Current biomarkers fail to account for size-independent risk of rupture. By combining the information of different molecular probes, multi-target molecular MRI holds the potential to enable individual characterization of AAA. In this experimental study, we aimed to examine the feasibility of simultaneous imaging of extracellular collagen and inflammation for size-independent prediction of risk of rupture in murine AAA. The study design consisted of: (1) A outcome-based longitudinal study with imaging performed once after one week with follow-up and death as the end-point for assessment of rupture risk. (2) A week-by-week study for the characterization of AAA development with imaging after 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks. For both studies, the animals were administered a type 1 collagen-targeted gadolinium-based probe (surrogate marker for extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling) and an iron oxide-based probe (surrogate marker for inflammatory activity), in one imaging session. In vivo measurements of collagen and iron oxide probes showed a significant correlation with ex vivo histology (p < 0.001) and also corresponded well to inductively-coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and laser-ablation inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Combined evaluation of collagen-related ECM remodeling and inflammatory activity was the most accurate predictor for AAA rupture (sensitivity 80%, specificity 100%, area under the curve 0.85), being superior to information from the individual probes alone. Our study supports the feasibility of a simultaneous assessment of collagen-related extracellular matrix remodeling and inflammatory activity in a murine model of AAA. KW - Atherosclerosis KW - Specific probe KW - Magnetic resonance imaging KW - Gadolinium KW - Iron oxide KW - Ferumoxytol KW - Inductively‑coupled mass spectrometry KW - ICP-MS KW - LA-ICP-MS KW - Laser ablation PY - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-525864 UR - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-71817-x VL - 10 IS - 1 SP - 15206 PB - Springer Nature Limited CY - London, New York, Berlin, Shanghai and Tokyo AN - OPUS4-52586 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reimann, C. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Adams, L. C. A1 - Onthank, D. C. A1 - Thöne-Reineke, C. A1 - Robinson, S. P. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Botnar, R. M. A1 - Makowski, M. R. T1 - Dual-probe molecular MRI for the in vivo characterization of atherosclerosis in a mouse model: Simultaneous assessment of plaque inflammation and extracellular-matrix remodeling N2 - Molecular MRI is a promising in-vivo modality to detect and quantify morphological and molecular vessel-wall changes in atherosclerosis. The combination of different molecular biomarkers may improve the risk stratification of patients. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of simultaneous visualization and quantification of plaque-burden and inflammatory activity by dual-probe molecular MRI in a mouse-model of progressive atherosclerosis and in response-to-therapy. Homozygous apolipoprotein E knockout mice (ApoE−/−) were fed a high-fat-diet (HFD) for up to four-months prior to MRI of the brachiocephalic-artery. To assess response-to-therapy, a statin was administered for the same duration. MR imaging was performed before and after administration of an elastin-specific gadolinium-based and a macrophage-specific iron-oxide-based probe. Following in-vivo MRI, samples were analyzed using histology, immunohistochemistry, inductively-coupled-mass-spectrometry and laser-inductively-coupled-mass-spectrometry. In atherosclerotic-plaques, intraplaque expression of elastic-fibers and inflammatory activity were not directly linked. While the elastin-specific probe demonstrated the highest accumulation in advanced atherosclerotic-plaques after four-months of HFD, the iron-oxide-based probe showed highest accumulation in early atherosclerotic-plaques after two-months of HFD. In-vivo measurements for the elastin and iron-oxide-probe were in good agreement with ex-vivo histopathology (Elastica-van-Giesson stain: y = 298.2 + 5.8, R2 = 0.83, p < 0.05; Perls‘ Prussian-blue-stain: y = 834.1 + 0.67, R2 = 0.88, p < 0.05). Contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR) measurements of the elastin probe were in good agreement with ICP-MS (y = 0.11x-11.3, R² = 0.73, p < 0.05). Late stage atherosclerotic-plaques displayed the strongest increase in both CNR and gadolinium concentration (p < 0.05). The gadolinium probe did not affect the visualization of the iron-oxide-probe and vice versa. This study demonstrates the feasibility of simultaneous assessment of plaque-burden and inflammatory activity by dual-probe molecular MRI of progressive atherosclerosis. The in-vivo detection and quantification of different MR biomarkers in a single scan could be useful to improve characterization of atherosclerotic-lesions. KW - In-vivo KW - Molecular MRI PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-492514 VL - 9 IS - 1 SP - Article number: 13827 PB - Nature AN - OPUS4-49251 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Reimann, C. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Adams, L. C. A1 - Onthank, D. A1 - Thöne-Reineke, C. A1 - Robinson, S. A1 - Wilke, Marco A1 - Weller, Michael G. A1 - Buchholz, R. A1 - Karst, U. A1 - Botnar, R. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Makowski, M. R. T1 - Molecular MR-Imaging for Noninvasive Quantification of the Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Targeting Interleukin-1β in a Mouse Model of Aortic Aneurysm N2 - Background: Molecular-MRI is a promising imaging modality for the assessment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) represents a new therapeutic tool for AAA-treatment, since pro-inflammatory cytokines are key-mediators of inflammation. This study investigates the potential of molecular-MRI to evaluate therapeutic effects of an anti-IL-1β-therapy on AAA-formation in a mouse-model. Methods: Osmotic-minipumps were implanted in apolipoprotein-deficient-mice (N = 27). One group (Ang-II+01BSUR group, n = 9) was infused with angiotensin-II (Ang-II) for 4 weeks and received an anti-murine IL-1β-antibody (01BSUR) 3 times. One group (Ang-II-group, n = 9) was infused with Ang-II for 4 weeks but received no treatment. Control-group (n = 9) was infused with saline and received no treatment. MR-imaging was performed using an elastin-specific gadolinium-based-probe (0.2 mmol/kg). Results: Mice of the Ang-II+01BSUR-group showed a lower aortic-diameter compared to mice of the Ang-II-group and control mice (p < 0.05). Using the elastin-specific-probe, a significant decrease in elastin-destruction was observed in mice of the Ang-II+01BSUR-group. In vivo MR-measurements correlated well with histopathology (y = 0.34x-13.81, R2 = 0.84, p < 0.05), ICP-MS (y = 0.02x+2.39; R2 = 0.81, p < 0.05) and LA-ICP-MS. Immunofluorescence and western-blotting confirmed a reduced IL-1β-expression. Conclusions: Molecular-MRI enables the early visualization and quantification of the anti-inflammatory-effects of an IL-1β-inhibitor in a mouse-model of AAAs. Responders and non-responders could be identified early after the initiation of the therapy using molecular-MRI. KW - Cardiovascular KW - Molecular-MRI KW - Magnetic resonance imaging KW - Gadolinium-based contrast agent KW - Elastin-specific contrast agent ESMA KW - Gadovist KW - Gadofosveset KW - MR Angiography KW - Inductively Coupled Mass Spectroscopy KW - Element Specific Bioimaging Using Laser Ablation KW - Visualization PY - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-517150 VL - 19 SP - 61875 PB - SAGE AN - OPUS4-51715 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Reimann, C. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Adams, L. C. A1 - Onthank, D. C. A1 - Thöne-Reinecke, C. A1 - Robinson, S. P. A1 - Buchholz, R. A1 - Karst, U. A1 - Botnar, R. M. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Makowski, M. R. T1 - Concurrent Molecular Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Inflammatory Activity and Extracellular Matrix Degradation for the Prediction of Aneurysm Rupture N2 - This study demonstrates the potential of the concurrent assessment of inflammatory activity and ECM degradation by dual-probe molecular MRI in an experimental mouse model of AAA. Based on the combined information from both molecular probes the rupture of AAAs could reliably be predicted, with higher accuracy compared with each probe alone. The combined in vivo quantification of these biomarkers in 1 imaging session may be useful to improve the in vivo characterization of AAAs. KW - Aneurism KW - Extracellular matrix KW - Inflammation KW - Macrophage KW - Magnetic resonance imaging PY - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCIMAGING.118.008707 VL - 12 IS - 3 SP - e008707 PB - American Heart Association, Inc. CY - Waltham, MA, USA AN - OPUS4-49705 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Reimann, C. A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Adams, L. C. A1 - Onthank, D. C. A1 - Thöne-Reineke, C. A1 - Robinson, S. P. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Botnar, R. M. A1 - Makowski, M. R. T1 - Dual-probe molecular MRI for the in vivo characterization of atherosclerosis in a mouse model: Simultaneous assessment of plaque inflammation and extracellular matrix remodeling N2 - Molecular MRI is a promising in-vivo modality to detect and quantify morphological and molecular vessel-wall changes in atherosclerosis. The combination of different molecular biomarkers may improve the risk stratification of patients. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of simultaneous visualization and quantification of plaque-burden and inflammatory activity by dual-probe molecular MRI in a mouse-model of progressive atherosclerosis and in response-to-therapy. Homozygous apolipoprotein E knockout mice (ApoE−/−) were fed a high-fat-diet (HFD) for up to four-months prior to MRI of the brachiocephalic-artery. To assess response-to-therapy, a statin was administered for the same duration. MR imaging was performed before and after administration of an elastin-specific gadolinium-based and a macrophage-specific iron-oxide-based probe. Following in-vivo MRI, samples were analyzed using histology, immunohistochemistry, inductively-coupled-mass-spectrometry and laser-inductively-coupled-mass-spectrometry. In atherosclerotic-plaques, intraplaque expression of elastic-fibers and inflammatory activity were not directly linked. While the elastin-specific probe demonstrated the highest accumulation in advanced atherosclerotic-plaques after four-months of HFD, the iron-oxide-based probe showed highest accumulation in early atherosclerotic-plaques after two months of HFD. In-vivo measurements for the elastin and iron-oxide-probe were in good agreement with ex-vivo histopathology (Elastica-van-Giesson stain: y = 298.2 + 5.8, R2 = 0.83, p < 0.05; Perls‘ Prussian-blue-stain: y = 834.1 + 0.67, R2 = 0.88, p < 0.05). Contrast-to-noise-ratio (CNR) measurements of the elastin probe were in good agreement with ICP-MS (y = 0.11x-11.3, R² = 0.73, p < 0.05). Late stage atherosclerotic-plaques displayed the strongest increase in both CNR and gadolinium concentration (p < 0.05). The gadolinium probe did not affect the visualization of the iron-oxide-probe and vice versa. This study demonstrates the feasibility of simultaneous assessment of plaque-burden. KW - Gadolinium KW - Elastin KW - Probe KW - Iron oxide KW - Ferumoxytol PY - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-497066 VL - 9 SP - 13827 PB - Springer Nature AN - OPUS4-49706 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Keller, S. A1 - Borde, T. A1 - Brangsch, J. A1 - Reimann, C. A1 - Kader, A. A1 - Schulze, D. A1 - Buchholz, R. A1 - Kaufmann, Jan Ole A1 - Karst, U. A1 - Schellenberger, E. A1 - Hamm, B. A1 - Makowski, M. R. T1 - Assessment of the hepatic tumor extracellular matrix using elastin‑specific molecular magnetic resonance imaging in an experimental rabbit cancer model N2 - To investigate the imaging performance of an elastin-specific molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) probe with respect to the extracellular matrix (ECM) in an experimental hepatic cancer model. Twelve rabbits with hepatic VX2 tumors were examined using 3 T MRI 14, 21, and 28 days after tumor implantation for two subsequent days (gadobutrol, day 1; elastin-specific probe, day 2). The relative enhancement (RE) of segmented tumor regions (central and margin) and the peritumoral matrix was calculated using pre-contrast and delayed-phase T1w sequences. MRI measurements were correlated to histopathology and element-specific and spatially resolved mass spectrometry (MS). Mixed-model analysis was performed to assess the performance of the elastin-specific probe. In comparison to gadobutrol, the elastin probe showed significantly stronger RE, which was pronounced in the tumor margin (day 14–28: P ≤ 0.007). In addition, the elastin probe was superior in discriminating between tumor regions (χ2(4) = 65.87; P < 0.001). MRI-based measurements of the elastin probe significantly correlated with the ex vivo elastinstain (R = .84; P <0 .001) and absolute gadolinium concentrations (ICP-MS: R = .73, P <0 .01). LA-ICP-MS imaging confirmed the colocalization of the elastin-specific probe with elastic fibers. Elastin-specific molecular MRI is superior to non-specific gadolinium-based contrast agents in imaging the ECM of hepatic tumors and the peritumoral tissue. KW - Elastin-specific molecular agent KW - Extracellular matrix KW - Hepatocellular carcinoma KW - Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy KW - Laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry KW - Magnetic resonance imaging KW - MR imaging KW - ESMA KW - Gadolinium PY - 2020 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-517360 VL - 10 IS - 1 SP - 20785 PB - Nature AN - OPUS4-51736 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -