non-alcoholic steatohepatitis imaging with iridium cpmplexes

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K13103
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Chemical biology
• Research Institution: Akita Prefectural University
• Principal Investigator: Hosaka Masahiro 秋田県立大学, 生物資源科学部, 教授 (80311603)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): Tobita Seiji 群馬大学, 理工学府, 教授 (30164007) ; Watanabe Tsuyoshi 旭川医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (80220903)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: イメージング / 非アルコール性脂肪性肝炎 / イリジウム錯体

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Iridium complex is a promising organic light-emitting diode material for next generation displays that emits phosphorescence quenched by oxygen. Our research group applied this oxygen-quenching feature for imaging tumor hypoxia in living animals. Besides developing BTP derivative to image tumors, we try to establish the imaging models for other hypoxic pathologies. Recently we found that BTP derivative could image non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) on model mouse. NASH is a condition in which fat builds up inside the liver causing inflammation. Prolonged inflammation results in cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer. Although biopsy is invasive-method to force burden to the patients, it is still the gold standard for NASH diagnosis. Therefore, the low-invasive and simple methods to discover NASH pathology are urgent problems in medical care and drug development. In this study, I addressed mechanisms for imaging NASH by an iridium complex.

Free Research Field

イメージング