A new magnetic material made of copper and plastic may amplify the imaging capabilities of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine.
The material was developed by Xin Zhang, Stephan Anderson and their team at Boston University Photonics Center, and it's capable of amplifying an MRI's performance in more ways than one.
MRI machines are one of the most complicated machines invented by man. They can be used to identify abnormalities or diseases in vital organs as well as other types of body tissue, including the joints and spinal cord.
Depending on the body part being analyzed and how many images are required, MRI scans can take more than an hour. It's possible to amplify the strength of the MRI, but this comes with high safety risks and costs for clinics. Magnetic fields produced by the machines can be so strong that they attract chairs and objects from across the room.
The new magnetic metamaterial can potentially be used as an additive technology to improve the imaging power of low-strength MRI machines without the risks that come with using high-strength magnetic fields.
The creators of the material envision it being used in ultra-low field MRIs, which would open the door for the technology to become more widely available across the world.
The use of the new material also raises questions as to whether there will still be a need for gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) to enhance the visualization of internal organs, tissues and blood vessels in MRIs. The use of GBCAs has raised some controversy and questions as to whether they affect the safety of MRIs.
The metamaterial is comprised of an array of units, called helical resonators. These resonators can be grouped in a flexible array that's pliable enough to cover any part of the body that needs imaging.
When placed near the body, the resonators will interact with the machine's magnetic field and boost the signal-to-noise ratio, or SNR. Essentially, it turns up the volume of the image.
In order to test the magnetic array, the team scanned tomatoes, chicken legs and grapes using a 1.5 T machine. The magnetic metamaterial, according to their findings, delivered a 4.2-fold increase in the SNR, which was a radical improvement. The results indicate that lower magnetic fields can be used to produce clearer images than currently possible.
The team hopes to partner with industry collaborators to adapt their material for real-world applications.
Being able to increase SNR by a significant margin allows for more possibilities and the chance to simplify the technology.
