The present invention provides a safe polymer nanoparticle composite with few side effects, and an MRI contrast agent incorporating said polymer nanoparticle composite. The polymer nanoparticle composite is capable of specifically accumulating on a tumor tissue to selectively extract the tissue, exhibiting high contrast even when used in small amounts, and enabling imaging over prolonged periods of time. This polymer nanoparticle composite is characterized by containing a block copolymer that includes a non-charged hydrophilic polymer chain segment and an anionic polymer chain segment, and MnCaP.

The present invention relates to silica hollow nanoparticles having inside their cavity a metal core consisting of inorganic nanostructures coated by a protective agent and agglomerated with a polymeric aggregating agent, useful in particular in medicine in the bio-imaging techniques and/or in the radio-therapeutic or chemo-therapeutic techniques; the invention moreover refers to a process for the preparation of such nanoparticles.

The present invention provides a magnetic nanoparticle composition, comprising an iron oxide particle core conjugated with a capping agent and having wüstite structure and antiferromagnetic properties, wherein the empirical formula of iron oxide is defined as Fe.sub.xO with x in the range of about 0.83 to about 0.96. Also provided are a method of manufacturing the same, a contrast agent comprising the same, and methods of using the same for acquiring a magnetic resonance image and for delivering a therapeutic or diagnostic agent.

Nanoparticles described as metal-encapsulated carbonaceous dots or M@C-dots are disclosed. Also disclosed are specific M@C-dots with gadolinium, so called Gd@C-dots. These nanoparticles are biologically inert and preclude the release of metal in biological environments. In addition, despite a dimension exceeding the commonly recognized threshold for renal clearance, the disclosed nanoparticles can be efficiently cleared via urine after systematic injection. Methods of making and using such nanoparticles are also disclosed.

The invention provides a novel class of clearable, tumor-targeting and human protein-based MRI nanoprobes and contrast agents and their compositions, and methods of preparation and use thereof.

An isolated or a synthetic targeting peptide comprising an amino acid sequence that is at least 90% identical to SEQ ID NO: 8 is disclosed. The targeting peptide may be conjugated to a component selected from the group consisting of polymeric micelles, lipoprotein-based drug carriers, nanoparticle drug carriers, a chemotherapeutic agent, a micelle, a liposome, dendrimers, a polymer, a lipid, an oligonucleotide, a peptide, a polypeptide, a protein, a prostate cancer cell, a stem cell, and an imaging agent. Also disclosed are a kit for imaging and detecting the presence of prostate cancer cells in vivo or in vitro, and a composition for treating prostate cancer, inhibiting prostate cancer cell growth, inducing prostate cancer cell cytotoxicity, and/or increasing the survival rate in a prostate cancer patient.

Compounds containing TRPV6-binding peptides and their use in the detection and diagnosis of cancer are described. Also described are methods for detecting and staging cancer that use the compounds of the invention. Compounds containing TRPV6-binding peptides are useful for the delivery of diagnostic and therapeutic agents to cells or tumors that express TRPV6.

Among the various aspects of the present disclosure is the provision of methods and compositions for detecting recombinant cationic ferritin imaging agents. Also provided are transgenic microorganisms capable of synthesizing a recombinant ferritin imaging agent and methods of making the same. The imaging agents described herein can be used to effectively and noninvasively detect renal pathologies and are suitable for use in a number of imaging modalities.

Disclosed herein are gelatin particles including gelatin, wherein when a major-axis length of dried gelatin particles is defined as a and a major-axis length of gelatin particles after swelling treatment obtained by immersing the dried gelatin particles in water at 40° C. under an atmospheric pressure for 60 minutes is defined as b, swelling degree represented by b/a is 1.0 or more but 10.0 or less, and wherein the gelatin particles after swelling treatment have a particle diameter of 1.0 nm or more but 5.0 μm or less. The gelatin particles are easily taken up by cells themselves.

The disclosure pertains to methods of treating or preventing a disease or condition associated with and/or induced by soluble A-beta oligomer such as Alzheimer's disease by administering to a subject in need thereof conformation specific and/or selective antibodies or binding fragments thereof and related products.