Issue 10, 2022

Magnetic particle imaging: tracer development and the biomedical applications of a radiation-free, sensitive, and quantitative imaging modality

Abstract

Magnetic particle imaging (MPI) is an emerging tracer-based modality that enables real-time three-dimensional imaging of the non-linear magnetisation produced by superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs), in the presence of an external oscillating magnetic field. As a technique, it produces highly sensitive radiation-free tomographic images with absolute quantitation. Coupled with a high contrast, as well as zero signal attenuation at-depth, there are essentially no limitations to where that can be imaged within the body. These characteristics enable various biomedical applications of clinical interest. In the opening sections of this review, the principles of image generation are introduced, along with a detailed comparison of the fundamental properties of this technique with other common imaging modalities. The main feature is a presentation on the up-to-date literature for the development of SPIONs tailored for improved imaging performance, and developments in the current and promising biomedical applications of this emerging technique, with a specific focus on theranostics, cell tracking and perfusion imaging. Finally, we will discuss recent progress in the clinical translation of MPI. As signal detection in MPI is almost entirely dependent on the properties of the SPION employed, this work emphasises the importance of tailoring the synthetic process to produce SPIONs demonstrating specific properties and how this impacts imaging in particular applications and MPI's overall performance.

Graphical abstract: Magnetic particle imaging: tracer development and the biomedical applications of a radiation-free, sensitive, and quantitative imaging modality

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
28 Aug. 2021
Accepted
30 Dec. 2021
First published
30 Dec. 2021
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale, 2022,14, 3658-3697

Magnetic particle imaging: tracer development and the biomedical applications of a radiation-free, sensitive, and quantitative imaging modality

S. Harvell-Smith, L. D. Tung and N. T. K. Thanh, Nanoscale, 2022, 14, 3658 DOI: 10.1039/D1NR05670K

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