Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are used today in many biomedical applications, including as a contrast agent in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In recent years, a new imaging modality has been developed that promises superior contrast and sensitivity for the detection of magnetic nanoparticles in a volume. Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) also delivers a high temporal and high spatial resolution making it suitable for the field of biomedical imaging.
Magnetic Particle Imaging is based on the nonlinear response of magnetic nanoparticles to an applied sinusoidal magnetic field. The tracer generates a set of higher harmonic components which are modulated via a static selection field in order to obtain a spatially resolved image. Since no tissue attenuation of the magnetic signal is observed, MPI is inherently quantitative to the amount of tracer in the imaging volume. For applications of MPI, especially quantitative and functional imaging scenarios, like particle binding detection to cells, a prior characterization of the nanoparticular tracer is essential. The LENA research facility provides all advanced characterization methods for the comprehensive characterization of magnetic nanoparticles, such as transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, static magnetization, ac susceptometry, magnetorelaxometry, magnetic particle spectroscopy, etc. For all these applications, the reconstruction technique used to obtain volumetric images from the raw magnetic signal plays a key role. Especially, the choice of regularization algorithm and parameters, as well as the effect of particle condition, i.e., colloidal stability, agglomeration/agglutination, chemical binding, cell incorporation, etc., are current research topics. This project deals with the complex interdependencies of tracer properties and image reconstruction. Thus, connecting nano-metrological aspects of the tracer particles with biomedical imaging in MPI.
PhD Student
» R. Priyo Hartono Adji, M.Eng.
Technische Universität Braunschweig,
Institut für Elektrische Messtechnik und Grundlagen der Elektrotechnik,
Hans-Sommer-Strasse 66, Room 502,
D-38106 Braunschweig, Germany
+49 (0) 531 391 - 3876
r.adji(at)tu-bs.de