Metals in medicine

This free course, Metals in medicine, focuses on the use of metals and their compounds in the production of images of internal structures in our bodies and on the role of metal-containing compounds as drugs in the treatment of disease.In terms of medical imaging, the high atomic numbers of many metals, their magnetism and radioactivity have all been harnessed in a range of techniques to provide contrast between tissues and to highlight diseased or otherwise changed tissues. These techniques have become some of the most important weapons in our fight against disease.When considering drugs used for the treatment of disease, your first thoughts might lean towards treatments involving organic compounds. But metals and their compounds have been used for medical applications since ancient times. The use of metal-containing drugs is a wide-ranging, exciting and ever-expanding research area.In this course you will learn the underlying chemistry behind both uses of metal-containing compounds and see their major impact on human health.

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 Imaging in medicine
• 1 Imaging in medicine
• 2 Anatomical imaging using X-rays
• 2 Anatomical imaging using X-rays
• 2.1 Computed tomography (CT) scans
• 2.2 X-ray contrast agents
• Barium sulfate
• Other X-ray contrast agents
• 3 Anatomical imaging using MRI
• 3 Anatomical imaging using MRI
• 3.1 MRI in practice
• 3.2 MRI: theoretical background
• 3.3 MRI: Producing an image
• Spatial localisation
• 3.4 Contrast in MRI
• Relaxation time
• T1- and T2-weighted images
• 3.5 Chemistry of the lanthanides
• Ionic radii of the lanthanides
• Paramagnetism of lanthanide complexes
• 3.6 MRI contrast agents
• Gadolinium complexes
• 4 Metals for therapeutic applications
• 4 Metals for therapeutic applications
• 4.1 Brief historical background
• 4.2 Current use of metals in medicine: an overview
• 5 Cancer therapy: the cisplatin story
• 5 Cancer therapy: the cisplatin story
• 5.1 Aquation of cisplatin
• 5.2 Biological targets of cisplatin
• 5.3 Platinum binding to DNA
• The 1,2-intrastrand cross-links
• 5.4 Anticancer effect
• 5.5 Why is transplatin inactive?
• 5.6 Cisplatin in the body
• 5.7 Side effects of cisplatin
• 5.8 Resistance to cisplatin
• 5.9 Limitations of cisplatin
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgements