Extending the utility of the hypoxia-targeting contrast agent GdDO3NI for perfusion imaging at 3T.

Motivation: Conventional CE MRI-based perfusion imaging assesses blood flow and vascular structure, whereas hypoxia-targeting agent GdDO3NI allows simultaneous mapping of both perfusion and hypoxia Goal(s): Our goal is to test the hypothesis that the well-established hypoxia-targeting MR contrast agent GdDO3NI performs comparably to the clinical contrast agent Gadavist in perfusion imaging studies conducted at 3T field strength Approach: In this study, six rats underwent dynamic imaging with multiple echo scans using both contrast agents. Results: The DSC and DCE percentage enhancements in the tumor region during the scans, along with the corresponding maps, were analyzed, revealing comparable results Impact: This preclinical study may enable a single MRI session that simultaneously informs on tumor perfusion and hypoxia, obviate the need for PET scans for hypoxia imaging and allow for improving therapeutic strategies tailored to the hypoxic state of tumors.