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Magnetic resonance imaging is a non-invasive imaging method that offers high-resolution, high quality in vivo visualization for medical diagnostics. Magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) containing Mn 2+ offer an attractive alternative to Gd-based molecular contrast agents for T 1 MRI. In this work, we show that highly anisotropic MnO NPs can be generated from a single precursor using simple synthetic protocols. These anisotropic morphologies offer better contrast augmentation when compared to spherical MnO NPs of similar sizes.