Safety & Efficacy of Contrast Agents: State of the Art, Future Directions, & Alternative Approaches
Member-Initiated Symposium

ORGANIZERS: Peter Caravan, Ira Krefting

Monday, 18 June 2018

Session Number: MIS-05

Overview
This Symposium was proposed by the Molecular & Cellular Imaging study group.

The safety of gadolinium (Gd) continues to be questioned, for instance, with the recent decision by the European Medicines Agency to withdraw 4 gadolinium-based contrast agents from the market owing to concerns around gadolinium deposition in the brain and body. This symposium examines the state of the art in contrast agents and the alternatives to Gd available for clinical and preclinical studies. In this session, there will be three 15-minute presentations on: 1) Gd-based contrast gents; 2) iron and other paramagnetic contrast agents; and 3) metal-free alternatives, and the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. Following these talks, the moderators will lead a 15-minute debate/discussion period. The second half of the symposium will be devoted to proffered papers that represent cutting-edge work in this field.

Target Audience
Scientists and physicians who apply or develop contrast agents for clinical or preclinical applications.

Educational Objectives
As a result of attending this course, participants should be able to:
- Identify the perceived risks associated with gadolinium based contrast agents;
- Describe alternative contrast agent approaches using iron- or manganese-based contrast agents relying on relaxation to induce contrast or contrast agents utilizing chemical exchange as the mechanism of action; and
- Contrast gadolinium versus other approaches in terms of sensitivity, availability, and performance.