Since we started the company in 2017, concerns in medicine have only increased over the gadolinium-based MRI contrast agents available today, Bradford La Salle, co-founder and president of Ferric Contrast, said in the announcement. Doctors and patients want new options."

Theres been a number of endeavors investigating the possibility of a gadolinium-free MRI contrast agent, including a University of Texas at Dallas project utilizing organic radical contrast agents.

Janet Morrow, PhD, a co-founder of Ferric and UB chemistry professor, says the interest in iron-based compounds is largely due to the fact that the element is found naturally in the body, unlike gadolinium.

Iron is regulated, recycled and stored in humans, making it more likely that the body can handle any accumulated iron, Morrow, who also serves as Ferric Contrasts chief scientific officer, added in the statement. We have developed iron complexes that are highly soluble and stabilized in the trivalent high-spin form.

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University spinoff receives $750K to develop iron-based alternative to gadolinium contrasts - Health Imaging