Patent ID: 7780952

Claim:
A MRI detectable species according to formula (I) which upon contact with the cells or cell surfaces of a human or other animal is incorporated into or onto the animal's cells or cell surfaces and which provides contrast sufficient to clearly distinguish between normal, healthy cells and tumor cells, wherein; D p —S n —N m (I) D is a MRI detectable moiety selected from the group consisting of coated ferromagnetic particles, coated superparamagnetic particles and chelated complexes of paramagnetic metal ions; S is a spacer; N is a molecule of a nutrient or pseudo-nutrient selected from alanine, phenylalanine, arginine, putrescine, spermidine, spermine, asparagine, agmatine and glutamine and n is 0 or an integer of 1 to 5, m is an integer of 1 to 5 and p is an integer of 1 to 10, wherein when n is an integer, p=1, m≧1 and n≦m.