Events Calendar

Medical Imaging Seminar Series

Speaker: Prof. Steve Conolly, Uiversity California, Berkeley

Talk Title: Magnetic Particle Imaging: A New Angiograph

Abstract: Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is a new imaging modality that makes use of USPIO (Ultra Small Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide) tracers and has the benefit of incredible Signal to Noise and near-perfect contrast. Moreover, the contrast agent is much safer than our current contrast agents (gadolinium and iodine) for patients with poor kidney function (called Chronic Kidney
Disease or CKD). About 40\% of Americans over the age of 60 now have CKD, and this condition makes any subsequent angiogram a very risky prospect. Indeed, CKD patients have almost 30% risk of losing all kidney function---and becoming permanently reliant on dialysis following an iodine injection.

Magnetic Particle Imaging draws from much of the system theory of MRI, but acquisition is in x-space rather than in k-space. The magnetization we image is only the contrast agent,
SPIOs, and human tissue is both transparent and emits zero signal.This is ideal for angiogram studies. Moreover, the magnetization inthe particles is 100 million times stronger than the nuclear paramagnetismwe image in a typical 55 Molar MRI study. There is almost 1 million gain in SNR/mole for MPI over MRI, meaning one day we can hope to image 55 micromolar SPIOs with extraordinary contrast to noise.

My research group at UC Berkeley has built all 7 of the MPI scannersin North America. I will present physics, systems theory (called x-space MPI), image reconstruction, hardware and some initial phantom and mouse
experiments.




Biography: My research group at UC Berkeley has built all 7 of the MPI scannersin North America. I will present physics, systems theory (called x-space MPI), image reconstruction, hardware and some initial phantom and mouse experiments.



Host: Prof. Krishna Nayak

Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Talyia Veal