¡ACELERAMOS!

Nuevos métodos en las técnicas de imagen nos permiten trabajar mucho más rapido, pero mucho!!! que significa que podremos acelerar también en otras ciencias que se basan por ejemplo en MRI funcional... ¿conoceremos mejor nuestro cerebro, sus secretos y potenciales?

A new technique that improves the sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) looks set to revolutionise both the scope and speed of this valuable diagnostic technology in hospital scanners and chemistry laboratories. The research, which involved the manipulation of parahydrogen, was carried out at the UK's University of York and is published online in the journal Science. The researchers developed the new technique by taking parahydrogen (the fuel that powered the space shuttle) and initiating a reversible interaction using a specially designed molecular scaffold. This transferred its magnetism over a range of molecules, resulting in their becoming much more easily detected than was previously possible. This is the first time parahydrogen has been used in this way. The new technology is a positive development for scientific research, as it will dramatically cut the time it takes to obtain research results using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technology. NMR is currently the most widely used method of obtaining analytical and structural information in chemistry. The researchers increased the sensitivity in NMR by over 1,000 times. This means that data that once took 90 days to record can now be obtained in 5 seconds, and MRI images can now be obtained in a fraction of a second rather than over 100 hours. Similarly, in patient diagnosis the technology will help doctors to diagnose a much wider range of illnesses more quickly. Professor Gary Green from the University of York's Department of Psychology and Director of the York Neuroimaging Centre, said, 'The new method has the potential to help doctors make faster and more accurate diagnoses in a wide range of medical conditions. 'The technique could ultimately replace current clinical imaging technologies that depend on the use of radioactive substances or heavy metals which themselves create health concerns.' The new technique will revolutionise medical imaging and therefore increase its quality for patients, including in cases of cancer, orthopaedics and trauma. Professor Simon Duckett from the University of York's department of chemistry, and Director of the Centre for Magnetic Resonance said, 'This development opens up the possibility of using NMR techniques to better understand the fundamental functions of biological systems.' The technology is already being developed for commercial use. A spokesperson for Bruker BioSpin, a company that develops NMR spectroscopy and preclinical MRI research tools, said, 'This technology has the potential to revolutionise both NMR and MRI methods in a short space of time.'

For more information, please visit: University of York http://www.york.ac.uk/