A single sided Magnetic Particle Imaging scanner for cancer screening

Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is a promising novel biomedical imaging modality. The benefits of MPI include high temporal resolution, no attenuation from tissues, and no ionizing radiation meaning MPI is less harmful than CT or PET. MPI excites and measures local concentrations of magnetic tracer particles, referred to as superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs). The images produced by MPI consist solely of the signal from the SPIONs without background from surrounding tissues. A major focus of MPI is constructing a scanner that is capable of imaging humans. Human sized closed bore MPI scanners, similar to those used in MRI, are not practical to implement due to high power requirements. A potential solution to this challenge is a dedicated partial volume scanner such as a single sided scanner, which would provide an unrestricted access to large subjects. Here, we present our prototype of a single sided MPI scanner that utilizes a field free line for image encoding, which may be translated into clinics for screening breast cancer.