Thursday, March 17, 2005
In Dust They Trust
The nanotech company QuantumSphere said it has developed nanodust that can travel through the human body and dramatically improve the quality of magnetic resonance imaging.
The particles, which circulate in the blood, are many times smaller than blood cells and can penetrate the tiniest blood vessels and cavities. Since they are also magnetic, they can focus the MRI's electromagnetic waves and improve images of internal organs "on the orders-of-magnitude" compared to existing methods.
The dust is blended with blood and the mix is injected in the bloodstream.
The nanomaterial is now going through Phase I animal testing. Assuming QuantumSphere gets the invention approved by the FDA, the dust could be a huge deal for brain imaging and treating brain disease like brain tumors, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease. The particles could be used to show "functional" detailed images of the brain in action.
The particles, which circulate in the blood, are many times smaller than blood cells and can penetrate the tiniest blood vessels and cavities. Since they are also magnetic, they can focus the MRI's electromagnetic waves and improve images of internal organs "on the orders-of-magnitude" compared to existing methods.
The dust is blended with blood and the mix is injected in the bloodstream.
The nanomaterial is now going through Phase I animal testing. Assuming QuantumSphere gets the invention approved by the FDA, the dust could be a huge deal for brain imaging and treating brain disease like brain tumors, epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease. The particles could be used to show "functional" detailed images of the brain in action.
