by Researchers from the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU) have developed a radiation-free imaging technology called Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) that allows for visualizing dynamic processes in the human body. This portable scanner has the potential to revolutionize the field of medical imaging by providing a fast and sensitive method to visualize defects or functional processes without interference from background signals.
Unlike traditional imaging techniques such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, MPI is based on the direct visualization of magnetic nanoparticles. These nanoparticles, which do not occur naturally in the human body, are administered as markers. Similar to positron emission tomography, which uses radioactive substances as markers, MPI offers the advantage of sensitive and fast imaging without interference from surrounding tissues or bones.
MPI relies on the response signal of magnetic nanoparticles to changing magnetic fields. By manipulating the magnetization of these nanoparticles with external magnetic fields, their presence and spatial position in the human body can be detected, according to physicist Patrick Vogel, the first author of the publication.
The concept of MPI is not new, with the first images being demonstrated by the Philips company in 2005. However, the development of devices suitable for human examination has proven to be challenging, resulting in large, heavy, and expensive constructions. In 2018, the JMU team was able to implement the complex magnetic fields required for imaging in a much smaller design.
“Our iMPI scanner is so small and light that you can take it almost anywhere,” says Vogel. The team successfully demonstrated the mobility of the scanner through real-time measurements compared to a standard X-ray device used in angiography in university hospitals. The Interventional Radiology Department of the Würzburg University Hospital collaborated with the team from the beginning, conducting measurements on a realistic vascular phantom and evaluating the first images.
Dr. Stefan Herz, senior author of the publication, believes that this development is a significant step towards radiation-free intervention and has the potential to revolutionize the field. MPI offers a new way to visualize dynamic processes in the human body, such as blood flow, without the need for radiation exposure. With further advancements and refinements, MPI could change the landscape of medical imaging and provide physicians with valuable insights into the human body.
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