Synthesis of Gd(III)-C-palmitamidomethyl-C'-DOTAMA-C(6)-o-carborane: a new dual agent for innovative MRI/BNCT applications.

C-(2-Benzyloxy)-ethyl-C'-N-tert-butoxycarbonyl-aminomethyl-o-carborane (8), a potentially useful intermediate for BNCT, has been synthesised. This intermediate can be readily functionalised with several biological vectors and MRI contrast agents. In this work intermediate 8 has been functionalised with a palmityl chain for lipophilic targeting and with Gd(III)-DOTAMA-C(6)-NH(2) as MRI detector. This combination yielded Gd(III)-C-palmitamidomethyl-C'-DOTAMA-C(6)-o-carborane (14) as a dual MRI-BNCT agent.