Polysaccharides comprising chelating groups soluble at physiological pH and uses thereof

The present invention relates to a statistical polysaccharide having a weight average molecular weight of from 100 kDa to 1000 kDa of the following formula I: wherein each Rc independently represents a group comprising a chelating agent, each Z independently represents a linker, which may be a single bond or a hydrocarbyl chain comprising from 1 to 12 carbon atoms, said chain may be linear or branched and may comprise one or more unsaturations and may comprise one or more heteroatoms, preferably selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and halogen atoms, x is in the range of 0.005 to 0.7, preferably in the range of 0.05 to 0.7, and preferably in the range of 0.2 to 0.6, y is in the range of 0.01 to 0.7, preferably in the range of 0.05 to 0.2, a y/x ratio greater than or equal to 0.05, preferably greater than or equal to 0.15, and the sum of x + y is greater than or equal to 0.30, preferably greater than or equal to 0.35. The invention also relates to the use of said polysaccharide in a d