Located at the Monash Alfred campus and operated by the Alfred Research Alliance-Monash Biomedical Imaging (ARA-MBI) platform
Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is a new non-invasive molecular imaging technique that offers significantly increased tracer sensitivity over MRI and remarkably faster acquisition times than nuclear medicine, opening the door to cutting-edge opportunities for interdisciplinary projects in medical research, chemistry, and biotechnology. It detects iron oxide nanoparticles to produce 2D and 3D images. MPI imaging is more sensitive and significantly faster than MRI and PET imaging.
Working synergistically together, these three technologies (MPI, MRI, PET) offer a preclinical theranostic platform that delivers exceptional image quality to detect and treat, therapeutic targets.
Benefits of MPI
- The Magnetic Insight system currently offers the world’s highest sensitivity and resolution of MPI images
- Simple to operate, eliminating the need for a dedicated scanner operator and allowing researchers to acquire their own data
- Avoids the radiation burden of PET, and when used without CT removes the x-ray dose
The new technology was funded through an ARC LIEF grant with contributions from Monash University and RMIT, and combines Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) with Computed Tomography (CT) and Hyperthermia capabilities for preclinical, in vivo research. It is located at the Monash Alfred campus and is operated by the Alfred Research Alliance-Monash Biomedical Imaging (ARA-MBI) platform.
The preclinical Momentum™ MPI system, developed by Magnetic Insight, is the world’s first MPI system with CT and Hyperthermia capabilities. The technology quantitatively detects magnetic nanoparticles anywhere in the body with exceptional sensitivity, enabling researchers the ability to track the nanoparticles in vivo, where they can bind to particular cells of interest. Using the same in vivo living subject, the Hyperthermia technology can then define an area with pinpoint accuracy and induce localized heating in this area up to a desired therapeutic temperature designed to kill the cells that have been bound with the nanoparticles.
The capabilities can also monitor chemotherapy treatments and enhance their efficacy with the addition of targeted heating. “With just 0.01 percent of chemotherapy currently reaching the cancer tissue, it is so important to boost the potency of the drugs reaching the target,” said Dr. Karen Alt, Head of the Nano Theranostics Laboratory at the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University.
“MPI and targeted Hyperthermia are seen as the most promising new developments in the non-invasive diagnostic imaging and therapy field in decades as it combines the non-invasive nature of MRI with the sensitivity of PET, thereby unifying the best from two mainstream clinical modalities,” said Associate Professor Christoph Hagemeyer, Head of the Nanobiotechnology Laboratory at the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases, Monash University.
The ARA-MBI Platform offers preclinical researchers access to the latest imaging equipment integrating high-resolution imaging and diagnostics to inform personalized therapeutic targets. The technologies include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), MPI, and Positron Emission Tomography (PET)/CT scanners.
Monash and its collaborators are world leaders in advanced nanoparticle fabrication, which is critical to MPI reaching its full potential. This is because MPI resolution and sensitivity are driven as much by the magnetic tracer’s properties as by the imaging hardware. The facility will be used to develop specialized iron oxide nanoparticles with the highest MPI sensitivity and responsiveness, enabling new opportunities for research in critical research fields such as vaccine technology development.
Dr. Patrick Goodwill, an expert in Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) technology and co-founder and CEO of Magnetic Insight added: “We have been working with TrendBio (an Australian SME) to deliver and support this ground-breaking technology, and we are excited to see the outcomes that Monash researchers will deliver.”
Professor Mike Ryan, Academic Director, Research Infrastructure, Monash University, said: “The facility will further enhance Monash’s leadership in advanced materials science nanotechnology, molecular imaging, and biosciences.”
