A new method of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can better detect molecular changes inside the body that could signal health
problems such as cancer, say Duke University chemists.
MRI uses hydrogen atoms in water to create images in response to magnetic pulses and radio waves, but the process requires
a huge number of water molecules.
"Only one out of every 100,000 water molecules in the body will actually contribute any useful signal to build that image,"
Warren Warren, a professor of chemistry, notes in a Duke news release. "The water signal is not much different between tumors
and normal tissue, but the other internal chemistry is different. So detecting other molecules, and how they change, would
aid diagnosis."
The team used a technique called dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) to produce strong MRI signals from a variety of atoms
other than water.The study appeared in the March 27 issue of Science.
Source: HealthDay
