Magnetic resonance and microfluidics
Magnetic resonance and microfluidics
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a well-established clinical tool that is routinely used to locate cartilage or ligament damage, cancerous lesions, and blood vessel occlusions; when combined with magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), it can even map brain function. The image contrast in MRI instruments comes from the change in orientation of the rotational axis (precession) of atomic nuclei in a magnetic field, and can be adjusted to selectively image tissues on the basis of oxygen content, diffusivity, flow velocity, and other properties. Microfluidic “lab-on-a-chip” (LOC) devices represent an emerging technology with potential applications in medical diagnostics. These devices flow samples (which often consist of suspensions of cells) and reagents through miniaturized chemical reactors, and are typically fabricated via lithographic methods similar to those used in microelectronics. Although in principle, MRI should be the ideal tool for monitoring reactions on LOC devices, in practice this turns out to be notoriously difficult because of limitations in sensitivity and resolution. On page 1078 of this issue, Bajaj et al. (1) present an ingenious method that allows sensitive MRI measurements on an LOC device by recording magnetic resonance signals from the spent fluid that exits the device.
1056-1058
Utz, Marcel
c84ed64c-9e89-4051-af39-d401e423891b
Landers, James
3432596a-0447-4a31-8f8e-c7cd22985c5c
19 November 2010
Utz, Marcel
c84ed64c-9e89-4051-af39-d401e423891b
Landers, James
3432596a-0447-4a31-8f8e-c7cd22985c5c
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a well-established clinical tool that is routinely used to locate cartilage or ligament damage, cancerous lesions, and blood vessel occlusions; when combined with magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), it can even map brain function. The image contrast in MRI instruments comes from the change in orientation of the rotational axis (precession) of atomic nuclei in a magnetic field, and can be adjusted to selectively image tissues on the basis of oxygen content, diffusivity, flow velocity, and other properties. Microfluidic “lab-on-a-chip” (LOC) devices represent an emerging technology with potential applications in medical diagnostics. These devices flow samples (which often consist of suspensions of cells) and reagents through miniaturized chemical reactors, and are typically fabricated via lithographic methods similar to those used in microelectronics. Although in principle, MRI should be the ideal tool for monitoring reactions on LOC devices, in practice this turns out to be notoriously difficult because of limitations in sensitivity and resolution. On page 1078 of this issue, Bajaj et al. (1) present an ingenious method that allows sensitive MRI measurements on an LOC device by recording magnetic resonance signals from the spent fluid that exits the device.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Published date: 19 November 2010
Organisations:
Magnetic Resonance
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 354808
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/354808
ISSN: 0036-8075
PURE UUID: a20f317b-0e5f-4d4e-bc48-c043526c594b
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 23 Jul 2013 09:25
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:44
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
James Landers
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
