Magnetic Particle Imaging & Its Synergies with MRI Technology & Applications
Member-Initiated Symposium

ORGANIZERS: Jeff Bulte, Steven Conolly, Lawrence Wald

Wednesday, 20 June 2018

Session Number: MIS-13

Overview
Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is an exciting, emerging technology originally developed by Gleich and Weizenecker at Philips in Hamburg. MPI shares many similarities with MRI technology and potential applications. In MPI, we directly image the intrinsic magnetic moment of injected superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) tracers, the same nanoparticles used as MRI contrast agents. Recently, two companies have released MPI preclinical scanners. As compared to MRI, the advantages of MPI are its high sensitivity, absolute quantification, and “hot spot” tracer signal appearance without background signal, facilitating image interpretation. In addition, natural sources of endogenous (iron- or susceptibility-induced) hypointense contrast are absent in MPI. 
This session is aimed for MRI researchers to learn the strengths and limitations of MPI technology and to understand how MPI could complement current MRI technology. For MRI engineers, MPI offers a wealth of opportunities to apply electromagnetics and imaging reconstruction techniques, including potential hybrid MPI-MRI or MPI-CT scanners. An overview of MPI physics, engineering, reconstruction methods, and applications will be provided. Recent MPI results will be highlighted from applications in cell tracking, brain functional hemodynamics, lung and brain perfusion, detecting gut bleeds and cancer imaging.

Target Audience
Scientific community from MR physics, functional MRI, MR perfusion imaging, and molecular and cellular imaging

Educational Objectives
As a result of attending this course, participants should be able to:
- Recall fundamental physics of MPI signal acquisition and image formation;
- Idenitfy the various pre-clinical applications that are relevant to possible future clinical use; and
- Recognize the advantages and disadvantages of MPI compared to MRI.