Patent ID: 7220401

Claim:
A method to obtain a magnetic resonance image of a blood clot in a subject, which method comprises administering to said subject an emulsion of nanoparticles, said nanoparticles consisting of liquid perfluorocarbon coated with lipid/surfactant, wherein said nanoparticles are coupled to at least one targeting ligand that is specific for at least one component characterizing blood clots that binds specifically to fibrin, gpIIb/IIIa, tissue factor/VIIA complex, activated clotting factor Xa, activated clotting factor IXa, or the fibrin condensation product, d-dimer, and wherein said nanoparticles are also coupled to at least one magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agent; allowing the targeting ligand to bind to the blood clot; and detecting a magnetic resonance image of said blood clot wherein said blood clot is bound to said ligand coupled directly to said lipid/surfactant-coated particles, while said nanoparticles are entirely in the liquid state.