Patent ID: 6897209

Claim:
A conjugate of formula (metal chelating agent)-((Y) m -A-NHR) k , wherein the metal chelating agent has 4 to 8 metal donor atoms covalently linked together by a non-coordinating backbone in either an open chain or macrocyclic arrangement or combinations thereof, and the —(Y) m -A-NHR substituent is attached at either the non-coordinating backbone or a metal donor atom of the chelating agent where: k is a natural number; Y is the same or different at different locations within the molecule and is independently chosen from: an A group, a C 4-8 cycloheteroalkylene group, a C 4-8 cycloalkylene group, a C 5-12 arylene group, a C 3-12 heteroarylene group, or a polyalkyleneglycol, polyactic acid or polyglycolic acid moiety, m is an integer of value 0-20, A is a 3-10 atom chain of units selected from —CR 2 —, —CR═CR—, —C≡C—, —NRCO—, —CONR—, —SO 2 NR—, —NRSO 2 —, or —CR 2 ZCR 2 — where Z is —CH 2 —, O, S, Se or —NR—, R is the same or different at different locations within the molecule and is independently chosen from H, C 1-4 alkyl, C 1-4 alkenyl, C 1-4 alkynyl, C 1-4 alkoxyalkyl or C 1-4 hydroxyalkyl, with the proviso that the metal chelating agent does not also have attached thereto a hypoxia localising moiety.