San Sebastian, October 5, 2026. Research from CIC biomaGUNE indicates that manganese-doped carbon nanodots hold significant promise as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), enhancing tissue differentiation and facilitating medical diagnosis.
Developed in the laboratory of Ikerbasque professor Maurizio Prato, these spherical nanoparticles, approximately 5 nanometers in size, are primarily composed of carbon with a small amount of manganese. The manganese is firmly integrated into the nanodot structure, providing exceptional contrast in MRI, comparable or even superior to current agents in some cases.
Current gadolinium-based contrast agents can pose health risks and persist in the environment. Therefore, safer and more abundant alternatives like manganese are being explored for their cost-effectiveness.
The study aimed to create a stable, reproducible, and well-tolerated platform of manganese-doped carbon nanodots detectable by MRI without requiring specific targeting molecules.
Studies using animal models demonstrate that the nanoparticles are efficiently eliminated from the body and are highly biocompatible, even after long-term exposure. No significant toxic effects were observed in major organs.
These nanoparticles also exhibit fluorescent properties, enabling their use with other detection techniques and the combination of different imaging modalities. They show great potential for theranostics (combining diagnosis and therapy), with ongoing work to incorporate new therapeutic functions, such as light-activated treatments.
