Micromagnet ‘RFID tags’ enhance MRI images

June 19, 2008 | Source: KurzweilAI

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and National Institutes of Health have shown that injectable microscopic magnets could act as “RFID tags” for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), enhancing sensitivity, the amount of information provided by images, and imaging speed, while reducing the amount of toxic contrast agent required.

Magnetic microtags (NIST/NIH)

Magnetic microtags (NIST/NIH)

The materials or shape of the micromagnets could be precisely tuned for unique multispectral signatures, frequency-shifting the radio-frequency (RF) signals used to make images, and the resulting RF signals could then be converted into different colors. The magnets could be individually attached to different cell types, allowing cells to be identified by color and acting as “smart tags” that identify particular cells, tissues, or physiological conditions.

Current MRI technology is primarily in black and white and cannot distinguish between different types of cells at the single-cell level.

NIST/NIH News Release