Our research focuses on the development and application of molecular and targeted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) approaches for the non-invasive characterization of cardiovascular and oncological diseases. Our work follows a translational pipeline that begins with the in silico design and computational modeling of novel molecular probes, followed by systematic in vitro evaluation of binding specificity and relaxivity properties, and subsequent in vivo validation in preclinical disease models. Our group has particular expertise in the development of gadolinium- and iron-based targeted MRI contrast agents directed against disease-specific extracellular matrix components and inflammatory markers. These molecular imaging strategies are being translated toward improved diagnostic accuracy, disease staging, and therapy monitoring in cardiovascular pathologies such as abdominal aortic aneurysm and atherosclerosis, as well as in urological oncology with a current emphasis on the molecular characterization of prostate carcinoma. By integrating computational probe design with quantitative MRI readouts and histopathological validation, our goal is to enable earlier detection and more precise phenotyping of disease at the molecular level.
Group Members
Felix Reuter
Jannis Marchand
Hannah Lichtmannegger
Carlos Pertuz
Collaborators
National:
Prof. Dr. Thomas Schlichthärle
AI-Guided Protein Design, TUM School of Natural Sciences
Prof. Dr. Franz Pfeiffer
Chair of Biomedical Physics, Technical University of Munich
Prof. Dr. Franz Schilling
Biomedical Magnetic Resonance, Technical University of Munich
Prof. Dr. Martin Zacharias
Chair of Theoretical Biophysics – Biomolecular Dynamics, Technical University of Munich
Prof. Dr. Uwe Karst
Chair of Analytical Chemistry, University of Münster
International
Prof. Aime Silvio
Molecular Imaging Center, University of Torino
Funding
KFO- Because Y
SFB1340 – Matrix in Vision
Selected Publications
Kader A, Ranner-Hafferl MHH, Polz AL, et al. Incomplete thermal ablation accelerates local and systemic tumor progression in an immunocompetent prostate cancer model. Int J Hyperthermia. 2026;43(1):2636637. doi:10.1080/02656736.2026.2636637
Ranner-Hafferl MHH, Mangarova DB, Heyl JL, et al. ADAMTS4-Targeted Molecular MRI for Early Detection of Extracellular Matrix Remodeling in a Porcine Model of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm. J Cardiovasc Magn Reson. Published online March 18, 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jocmr.2026.102718
Kader A, Ranner-Hafferl MHH, Reuter F, et al. Preclinical HistoBench: A Pilot Benchmark Dataset for Evaluating Large Language Models on Preclinical Histopathological Classification. Biology (Basel). 2026;15(5):395. Published 2026 Feb 27. doi:10.3390/biology15050395
Ranner-Hafferl MHH, Mangarova DB, Mein J, et al. An endovascular porcine model of abdominal aortic aneurysm for interventional radiology research. Eur Radiol Exp. 2026;10(1):6. Published 2026 Jan 26. doi:10.1186/s41747-025-00673-z
Mangarova DB, Kaufmann JO, Brangsch J, et al. ADAMTS4-Specific MR Peptide Probe for the Assessment of Atherosclerotic Plaque Burden in a Mouse Model. Invest Radiol. 2025;60(8):499-507. doi:10.1097/RLI.0000000000001152
Kader A, Snellings J, Adams LC, et al. Sensitivity of magnetic resonance elastography to extracellular matrix and cell motility in human prostate cancer cell line-derived xenograft models. Biomater Adv. 2024;161:213884. doi:10.1016/j.bioadv.2024.213884
Kader A, Kaufmann JO, Mangarova DB, et al. Collagen-Specific Molecular Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Prostate Cancer. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;24(1):711. Published 2022 Dec 31. doi:10.3390/ijms24010711
Kaufmann JO, Brangsch J, Kader A, et al. ADAMTS4-specific MR probe to assess aortic aneurysms in vivo using synthetic peptide libraries. Nat Commun. 2022;13(1):2867. Published 2022 May 23. doi:10.1038/s41467-022-30464-8
Kader A, Kaufmann JO, Mangarova DB, et al. Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Visualization of Prostate Cancer in MRI. Cancers (Basel). 2022;14(12):2909. Published 2022 Jun 13. doi:10.3390/cancers14122909
Adams LC, Brangsch J, Kaufmann JO, et al. Effect of Doxycycline on Survival in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in a Mouse Model. Contrast Media Mol Imaging. 2021;2021:9999847. Published 2021 Apr 27. doi:10.1155/2021/9999847