The present invention provides preparations of MSCs with important therapeutic potential. The MSC cells are non-primary cells with an antigen profile comprising less than about 1.25% CD45+ cells (or less than about 0.75% CD45+), at least about 95% CD105+ cells, and at least about 95% CD166+ cells. Optionally, MSCs of the present preparations are isogenic and can be expanded ex vivo and cryopreserved and thawed, yet maintain a stable and uniform phenotype. Methods are taught here of expanding these MSCs to produce a clinical scale therapeutic preparations and medical uses thereof.

An aqueous approach to synthesize capped SnS quantum dots (QDs) followed by optional capping molecule extension by attaching one or more extending molecules to the capping molecule via peptide bond formation at elevated temperature. The capped SnS QDs may have a capping molecule:Sn:S molar ratio of 16:3:1 to 16:12:1. A suspension of SnS QDs was heat-treated at 200 C. for 0.5-4 hrs. The obtained SnS QDs showed an NIR emission peak at 820-835 nm with an excitation wavelength at 690 nm. The as synthesized SnS QDs were found to have high positive zeta potential of 30 mV and thus were toxic to cells. By neutralizing the SnS QDs the cytotoxicity was reduced to an accepted level. The heat-treatment step can be obviated by adding a glycerol solution containing S.sup.2 anions and capping molecule to a glycerol solution of Sn.sup.2+ ions.

The invention relates to non-polymeric lipid-based nanocarrier compositions loaded with metal nanoparticles and at least one therapeutic agent, useful agents for transportation, vectorization, cellular delivery cellular targeting or cellular localization of at least one therapeutic agent.

Provided herein is a nanoparticle comprising a metal core and a polymer shell coating the metal core useful as a magnetic resonance contrast agent.

The present invention provides doped ferrite particles or metallic compounds or alloys, which can be used as temperature-dependent sensors in magnetic resonance imaging. In certain embodiments, these particles have a Curie temperature near that of living animals, allowing one to obtain spatial maps of temperature useful for thermal medical procedures or diagnostics. In other embodiments, one can use the methods and materials of the present invention to obtain spatial temperature maps of materials and non-living objects, such as tires or polymers. This method allows for a non-invasive determination of internal body temperature with a resolution of about 1 C.

The invention pertains to thermosensitive liposomes encapsulating nanoparticles. In certain embodiments, the thermosensitive liposomes of the invention disrupt when heated at gel-to-liquid crystalline phase transition temperature (Tm) or above Tm, wherein the liposome comprises a thermosensitive lipidic membrane encapsulating nanoparticles. The nanoparticles used in the invention comprise an inorganic core the largest dimension of which is less than about 100 nm that is fully coated with an agent responsible for the presence of an electrostatic charge below 20 mV or above +20 mV at the surface of the nanoparticle, the electrostatic charge being determined by zeta potential measurements in an aqueous medium between pH 6 and 8, for a concentration of nanoparticles in suspension in the aqueous medium varying between 0.2 and 8 g/L. The invention also relates to pharmaceutical and diagnostic compositions comprising the thermosensitive liposomes as well as to their uses.

A system and method performing a medical imaging process includes arranging a subject to receive solution comprising nanodiamonds, performing an MRI imaging process to acquire data from the subject, and reconstructing the data to generate a report indicating a spatial distribution of nanodiamonds in the subject.

Disclosed is a composition including magnetic nanoparticles for use in the treatment of a tissue volume including pathological cells in an individual, wherein a portion only of the tissue volume is occupied by the magnetic nanoparticles upon administration of the composition to the individual and the magnetic nanoparticles are excited by radiations.

Described herein are compositions having a nanoparticle that is conjugated to at least one bone targeting moiety, wherein the bone targeting moiety is bonded to the nanoparticle by a linker, wherein the nanoparticle contains iron, and wherein the compositions are neutral or pharmaceutically acceptable salts or esters. Also described herein are methods of making these compositions. In one aspect, the nanoparticles serve as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging of bone metabolism. The compounds, compositions, and methods described herein can be used in a number of therapeutic applications including diagnosing or monitoring fracture and/or the progress of conditions associated with bone loss, which include, but are not limited to, osteoporosis, Paget's disease, osteolytic tumors, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, osteoarthritis, osteopenia, and hypercalcemia.

A nanotheranostic probe and its use to facilitate diagnoses, treatment and targeting of amyloid deposits are disclosed herein.