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Mohammad Tavakoli 4 th Mini-Seminar in Physiology of Brain & Cognition Instructor: Dr. Gharibzadeh Spring 2008. Nanotechnology in Favour of Medical Imaging. Nowadays Hi-techs. Atomic Technology: Concerning Energy Biotechnology & Stem Cells: Concerning Life & Health IT:
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Mohammad Tavakoli 4th Mini-Seminar in Physiology of Brain & Cognition Instructor: Dr. Gharibzadeh Spring 2008 Nanotechnology in Favour of Medical Imaging
Nowadays Hi-techs • Atomic Technology: • Concerning Energy • Biotechnology & Stem Cells: • Concerning Life & Health • IT: • Concerning Information • Nanotechnology: • Concerning Very Small Things ;)
Nano • How small would it be? • Millimeter: • Wavelength of microwaves • Micrometer: • One millionth of a meter • Nanometer: • One thousand millionth of a meter • Angstrom: • Hundred-millionth of a centimeter or 10-10 meter • Wavelength of light: 400 to 700 nanometers or .4-.7 Å
Any Problem? • Submicroscopic things and phenomenon are not visible in analytical manner! • Brownian motion in fluids -> Chaotic Environment • So What? • Computational Science • Prof. Rafii-Tabar (IPM) • Simplification & Idealization • Numerical Modeling (Abstract) & Computer Simulation • Supercomputers & Parallel Processing • Physics of Nanotechnology: 10-15 sec. & 10-7 -10-9 m.
Nano Scale Devices • Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM) • IBM (1980) • Simulations @ IBM website, e.g. Nano-tubes • Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) • Seeing like a blind person • Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy • The technique used here is same as MRI • Academic researches
AFM (Touching Microscopy) • In AFM, a sharp probe is scanned across a surface, left, and by monitoring the motion of the probe from each pass across the surface, a 2-D line profile is generated. • Then the line profiles are combined to create a three dimensional image of the surface, right.
Related Software • Quantum: • Gaussian • Wein2K • Spresso • GPMD • Molecular Dynamics: • NAMD • Visualization: • AVS • VMD (Visual Molecular Dynamics)
What is the Use? • Nanomagnetic Structures for Atomic Resolution MRI • Nanowire-based sensor for ultra-high sensitivity magnetic resonance force microscopy • Amplification of magnetic flux in magnetic resonance by magnetic nanoparticles that promises to significantly improve MRI performance
MRI Problems? • Problem 1: • In 2001 a patient in a British hospital died of heart failure shortly after being given an MRI brain scan! • Solution: • “Nano-coated implants cut MRI scan dangers” 2003 • Problem 2: • How can we improve the MRI resolution? • Solution: Contrast Agents • What can Nanotechnology do here?
MRI Problems? • Solution: • Superparamagnetic contrast agents (e.g. iron oxidenanoparticles) have become available. • These agents appear very dark on T2*-weighted images and may be used for liver imaging - normal liver tissue retains the agent, but abnormal areas (e.g. scars, tumors) do not. • They can also be taken orally, to improve visualization of the gastrointestinal tract, and to prevent water in the gastrointestinal tract from obscuring other organs (e.g. pancreas).