Magnetic Particle Spectrometer

This new magnetic particle spectrometer will enable research into new contrast agents for magnetic particle imaging (MPI). Such research activities will be key to translating this new imaging modality into pre-clinical and clinical practice. The design of this system will feature characteristics similar to those of magnetic particle imaging systems, therefore  supporting direct translation of new experimental results. The system will be made available to selected academic institutions, university medical centers, and industrial research groups interested in MPI contrast agent development.

The spectrometer can be interpreted as a zero-dimensional MPI scanner. It will consist of one drive field coil and one receiving coil in an RF shielding enclosure. In contrast to a multi-dimensional MPI scanner, the magnetic field is considered to be homogeneous so that all particles experience the same field and corresponding magnetization. The bulk change in magnetization induced by the RF excitation is measured by the receiving coil.

Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is a new medical imaging technology developed by Philips Research that uses the magnetic properties of iron-oxide nanoparticles to produce three-dimensional images of the concentration of nanoparticles injected into the bloodstream, thus providing anatomical and functional images of e.g. the heart.

MPI is based on the non-linear magnetization curve of superparamagnetic iron oxides (SPIOs). These SPIOs are well established as contrast agent for MRI examinations and clinically approved in Europe. For MPI, however, only a small fraction of the SPIOs in these contrast agents contribute to the signal so that novel, optimized agents need to be developed based on suitably synthesized particles.