Current and Future MR Contrast Agents: Seeking a Better Chemical Stability and Relaxivity for Optimal Safety and Efficacy

Abstract

This review summarizes 30 years of experience in the development and clinical use of magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents. Despite their undisputable usefulness for disease diagnosis, gadolinium (Gd)-based contrast agents (GBCAs) have gone through 2 major safety crises. Approximately 10 years ago, the regulatory agencies decided to restrict the use of GBCAs to minimize the risk of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis in patients with severe renal insufficiency. Yet, following the recent discovery of Gd retention in brain, the same agencies adopted different positions ranging from suspension of marketing authorizations, changes in GBCA safety labeling, and performing preclinical and clinical studies to assess the potential long-term consequences of Gd accumulation on motor and cognitive functions. Besides, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has benefited from MR technological advances, which provide alternative solutions to increase the MR signal, generate new contrasts on MRI scans, and accelerate their acquisition and analysis. Altogether, GBCAs in combination with new MR techniques have found their place in the diagnostic pathway of various diseases. Despite the large research efforts to identify and develop alternative Gd-free MR agents, manganese- and iron-based contrast agents have failed to reach market approval. In this context, the development of next-generation MR contrast agents should focus on high-stability and high-relaxivity GBCAs, such as gadopiclenol, which offer the possibility to adapt the administered Gd dose to each indication while ensuring an optimal patient safety.