LCO-DOTA-Gd

LCO-DOTA-Gd is a multimodal contrast agent developed for the targeted imaging of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques in Alzheimer's disease. The molecule is a conjugate of a luminescent conjugated oligothiophene (LCO), which serves as a high-affinity ligand for protein aggregates, and a gadolinium-DOTA (Gd-DOTA) complex, which provides paramagnetic contrast for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The LCO moiety specifically recognizes the cross-β-sheet architecture of amyloid fibrils, allowing the probe to accumulate at the site of plaques. This dual-functional probe enables both high-resolution MRI and sensitive fluorescence microscopy, facilitating the early detection and longitudinal monitoring of amyloid pathology in preclinical models.

Other names

Gadolinium-labeled luminescent conjugated oligothiopheneLCO-Gd-DOTA