The purpose of the field of "new active ingredients and contrast agents in tumour research" is to test new fluorinated organic compounds in terms of their effect on different cell lines. In addition to viability studies (see the Neubauer haemocytometer), MR spectroscopic cells examinations are performed, which can detect potential cell marking.

We synthesise, purify and characterise some of the compound classes to be investigated in our laboratory, which also includes such thing as intermolecular interactions (i.e., the formation of guest-host complexes) and the influence of pH changes on chemical displacements within the ¹⁹F MR spectrum.

Novel ionic and uncharged potential MR contrast agents are being investigated in addition to complexes that contain gadolinium. Examples include perfluoroalkanes and the double negatively charged boron cluster [B₁₂F₁₂]².

A 4.7T MR animal scanner at the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology is used for the MR imaging. Among other things, our group used the data we obtained to construct a 3D print phantom, which, for example, enables an estimation of the concentration of new fluorinated compounds and the optimisation of MR imaging sequences.