Provided is a novel probe for a biological specimen for labelling by itself and clearly visualizing one of a specific cell and a specific cell organ in a living body, the probe having excellent spectral characteristics and exhibiting excellent storage stability. The probe for a biological specimen contains, as an active agent, at least one kind of compound represented by a general formula (I). ##STR00001##

Provided are imaging agents comprising a compound of Formula (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and methods of their use.

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The invention provides cardiovascular imaging agents comprising an anticoagulant (e.g., dabigatran derivatives) with a label (e.g., radiolabeled, fluorinated or radiofluorinated). Methods for using the cardiovascular imaging agents and kits containing the cardiovascular imaging agents or components suitable for production of the cardiovascular imaging agents are also provided.

Compositions and methods for visualizing tissue under illumination with near-infrared radiation, including compounds comprising near-infrared, closed chain, sulfo-cyanine dyes and prostate specific membrane antigen ligands are disclosed.

The present invention provides a renal imaging agent comprising a nitroimidazole-type compound or a salt thereof. The renal imaging agent according to the present invention can be used in positron emission tomography.

Compositions and methods for visualizing tissue under illumination with near-infrared radiation, including compounds comprising near-infrared, closed chain, sulfo-cyanine dyes and prostate specific membrane antigen ligands are disclosed.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) targeting compounds are described. Uses of the compounds for imaging, therapy, cell sorting, and tumor mapping are also described.

Readily available hydrophilic and small organofluorine moieties were condensed via “click chemistry” to generate nonionic hydrophilic fluorinated molecules with unique .sup.19F MR signatures. These were used to fabricate stable liposome formulations for imaging various tissue types. This approach was tailored to exploit the broad spectrum of organic .sup.19F molecular species and to generate probes with distinct .sup.19F MRI signatures for simultaneous assessment of multiple molecular targets within the same target volume.

A method for removing or controlling or quantifying the presence of aldehydes, in particular acetaldehyde, is described. Such a method is useful in prolonging the shelf life of a pharmaceutical product.

Inter alia, the first titania-catalyzed [.sup.18F]-radiofluorination in highly aqueous medium is provided. In embodiments, the method utilizes titanium dioxide, 1:1 acetonitrile-thexyl alcohol solvent mixture and tetrabutylammonium bicarbonate as a base. Radiolabeling may be directly performed with aqueous [.sup.18F]fluoride without the need for drying/azeotroping step, which reduces radiosynthesis time while keeping high fluoride conversion. The general applicability of the synthetic strategy to the synthesis of the wide range of PET probes from tosylated precursors is demonstrated.