Magnetic resonance development speeds up diagnosis

Posted on 25 October 2010

York scientists have developed a new technology which dramatically improves the sensitivity of magnetic resonance techniques.


Magnetic resonance is widely used as a diagnostic tool in hospital imaging scanners as well as being the most popular method for obtaining analytical and structural information in chemistry.

The new technique, known as ‘hyperpolarisation’, substantially enhances the magnetic signals of certain molecules and so could have a profound effect on the way magnetic resonance is used, in particular opening up new avenues for the diagnosis and treatment of a range of medical conditions.

It could be possible, for example, to use this technique to closely analyse how a drug is metabolised in the body and, as a result, be able to develop ‘personalised’ dosages that are unique to a particular patient.

In chemistry, hyperpolarisation makes it possible to make measurements in a single second that previously would have taken three months, as well as providing more detailed information about the purity of a material.

The research, led by Professor Simon Duckett in the Department of Chemistry and Professor Gary Green from the York Neuroimaging Centre, was published in Science in 2009.

The research has attracted strong interest from several large pharmaceutical companies such as GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca, as well as from instrument manufacturers. Bruker Biospin, market leader in NMR, has already developed a prototype polariser with York. The University is now forming a consortium of academic and industrial partners to accelerate further development.