A sensitive and fast option
Magnetic particle imaging is a method based, as the name recommends, on the direct visualization of magnetic nanoparticles. Such nanoparticles do not occur naturally in the human body and must be administered as markers. “As with positron emission tomography, which depends on the administration of radioactive substances as markers, this technique has the terrific advantage of being delicate and fast without seeing interfering background signals from tissue or bone,” explains Volker Behr.
The iMPI scanner is so small and light that you can take it with you and use it practically anywhere. This is an initially crucial action towards radiation-free intervention. Credit: Patrick Vogel/ Stefan Herz
MPI is not based upon the detection of gamma rays from a radioactive marker like positron emission tomography however on the reaction signal of the magnetic nanoparticles to magnetic fields that alter gradually.
” In this procedure, the magnetization of nanoparticles is particularly manipulated with the assistance of external electromagnetic fields, where not only their existence however also their spatial position in the human body can be found,” states physicist Patrick Vogel, very first author of the publication.
A small scanner for big insights
The MPI concept is not brand-new. As early as 2005, the Philips company had the ability to reveal the first images of this unique technique in a small demonstrator, which, however, could only take samples a couple of centimeters in size. And the advancement of devices suitable for analyzing people showed more tough than anticipated, leading to large, heavy and pricey buildings.
In 2018, the group led by Professor Volker Behr and Patrick Vogel discovered a brand-new method to carry out the complex magnetic fields needed for imaging in a much smaller sized style. In a multi-year research project funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), the scientists prospered in implementing the novel idea in an MPI scanner (interventional Magnetic Particle Imaging– iMPI) particularly developed for intervention.
” Our iMPI scanner is light and so small that you can take it nearly anywhere,” Vogel discusses. The authors remarkably show this mobility of the scanner in a synchronised real-time measurement in comparison with an unique X-ray gadget, which is the basic gadget in angiography in university health centers. The team led by Professor Thorsten Bley and Dr. Stefan Herz of the Interventional Radiology Department of the Würzburg University Hospital, which accompanied this task from the beginning, carried out the measurements on a reasonable vascular phantom and evaluated the very first images.
” This is a first essential action towards radiation-free intervention. MPI has the possible to alter this field for good,” stated Dr. Stefan Herz, senior author of the publication.
Next actions in research
In addition to more amazing measurements with the iMPI gadget, the 2 physicists are now dealing with further developing their scanner. The primary objective is to additional enhance the image quality.
Recommendation: “iMPI: portable human-sized magnetic particle imaging scanner for real-time endovascular interventions” by P. Vogel, M. A. Rückert, C. Greiner, J. Günther, T. Reichl, T. Kampf, T. A. Bley, V. C. Behr and S. Herz, 28 June 2023, Scientific Reports.DOI: 10.1038/ s41598-023-37351-2.
Scientists from the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) have established a portable, radiation-free scanner utilizing Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI). This strategy, efficient in imagining vibrant procedures like blood flow in the body, is based on the detection of magnetic nanoparticles administered as markers.
Technologies like computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, and ultrasound are now integral parts of the medical domain, providing unique insights into human anatomy. These strategies not only supply comprehensive imaging of the human body however likewise assist physicians identify irregularities or analyze practical procedures within.
A group consisting of physicists and medical professionals from Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) has actually effectively developed an innovative, radiation-free imaging strategy thats suitable for human use called Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI). Their recently created portable scanner is capable of, to name a few things, envisioning vibrant procedures in the body, such as blood circulation.
Professor Volker Behr and Dr. Patrick Vogel from the Universitys Institute of Physics are accountable for this research study; they have now released the results in the journal Nature Scientific Reports.
Magnetic particle imaging is a technique based, as the name recommends, on the direct visualization of magnetic nanoparticles. Such nanoparticles do not occur naturally in the human body and needs to be administered as markers. The iMPI scanner is light and so little that you can take it with you and use it practically anywhere.” Our iMPI scanner is so little and light that you can take it practically anywhere,” Vogel describes. The authors remarkably demonstrate this mobility of the scanner in a synchronised real-time measurement in comparison with an unique X-ray device, which is the standard gadget in angiography in university health centers.
