RESEARCHERS SPY CHEMICAL BOND FORMATION WITH SPECIAL AGENT

摘要

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a window into the body, and since people are mostly water, the dominant MRI signal comes from the hydrogen atoms in water molecules. The strength of the signal is very sensitive to the water molecules' environment, allowing doctors to visualize structures in the body. To get more detailed information, such as the location of disease-linked proteins, scientists have developed contrast agents that tweak water's MRI signal in areas where enzymes break chemical bonds. In an extension of this method, Dina Hingorani, Edward Randtke, and Mark Pagel describe the first such agent that detects the formation of a chemical bond.