Medical diagnostics: improved imaging
More specific and higher resolution – new MRI method does not require radio frequencies and is to be used in the long term (Source: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology – Press releases)
Today, medical technology can no longer do without magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, in addition to a magnetic field, this imaging method requires excitation by radio frequencies. The energy of these frequencies can overheat cells, which has so far limited the duration and specificity of high-resolution MRI. A completely new approach, RASER-MRI (radio-frequency amplification by stimulated emission of radiation), has now been presented by an international research team headed by Sören Lehmkuhl from the KIT Institute of Microstructure Technology in the journal Science Advances.
In classical MRI, the image is generated in two steps: By applying a magnetic field, nuclear spins of the molecules in the body align uniformly like small magnets. In a second step, these are flipped over, so to speak, by radio waves. The MRI image is formed by the small magnets realigning with the magnetic field.
RASER-MRI works in the opposite way: The mini-magnets already start out exactly the opposite way to the magnetic field of the MRI and then align themselves with it together. A different method is used for the reversal, so that no radio waves are necessary. As a result, measurements can be taken longer and the image is higher resolution than with classic MRI. “Many didn’t believe something like this was even possible,” Lehmkuhl points out. “But with model calculations, simulations and in experiments, we were able to prove that the method works in principle.” However, the researcher estimates that it will still take several years before it can be applied in practice.
The original press release can be found at:
Medizindiagnostik: Verbesserte Bildgebung (only in german)
The original publication can be found at:
Sören Lehmkuhl, Simon Fleischer, Lars Lohmann, Matthew S. Rosen, Eduard Y. Chekmenev, Alina Adams, Thomas Theis2, Stephan Appelt, RASER MRI: Magnetic resonance images formed spontaneously exploiting cooperative nonlinear interaction, ScienceAdvances, 2022, 8 (28), DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abp8483
Localization in the Helmholtz Research Field Information:
Helmholtz Research Field Information, Program 3: Materials Systems Engineering, Topic 5: Materials Information Discovery
Contact:
Dr. Sören Lehmkuhl
NMR Microtechnologies for Imaging and Spectroscopy at the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT)
Karlsruher Institute for Technology (KIT)
Phone: +49 721-608-22760
E-Mail: soeren.lehmkuhl@kit.edu
