CORVALLIS, Ore. (KTVZ) -– Scientists at Oregon State University have filed a patent on a design for a new magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent with the potential to outperform current agents while being less toxic to patients and more environmentally friendly.
The new material is based on a structure known as a metal-organic framework or MOF, whose development in the 1990s earned this year’s Nobel Prize for chemistry as MOFs’ many possible uses become increasingly apparent.
MOFs are made up of positively charged metal ions surrounded by organic “linker” molecules. They have nanosized pores and can be designed with a variety of components that determine the MOF’s properties…