A recent breakthrough in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology could potentially revolutionize earl- disease detection and make it easier for physicians to diagnose medical conditions earlier than they currently do. Researchers from Northeastern University have developed a screening technique that produces MRI images of significantly better quality compared to conventional MRI scans, opening the door to the creation of more superior means of diagnosing diseases such as cancer.
When bioengineer and physicist Codi Gharagouzloo enrolled in Northeastern University’s PhD program nearly 15 years ago, he dreamed of developing a cure for cancer and was convinced that nanoparticles could open up previously unexplored avenues for curing cancer. Nanoparticles are extremely tiny particles that can’t be observed even with a microscope, and their use in the medical field is cumulatively referred to as nanomedicine. They gained popularity in the medical field during the mid-2000s as a growing number of researchers included nanomedicine, but they still don’t play a notable role in current medical practices.
Gharagouzloo’s research led him to the realization that drug delivery via nanoparticles could be successfully achieved by targeting certain cancers and by building on discoveries that were made in the molecular biology field rather than physics. He then surmised that he could boost the quality of MRI scans and allow radiologists to generate quantitative information that provides actionable data on internal organs and tissues by using novel techniques to measure blood vessels.
Such high-quality diagnostics would be critical to the development of precision medicine that can provide personalized evaluations of medical condition risk, and medical diagnosis as well as treatment plans. After nearly 13 years of research, Gharagouzloo’s breakthrough technology finally reached the first commercialization phase.
In mid-2018, he and his wife formed a company called Imaginostics along with an angel investor and developed QUTE-CE MRI, a revolutionary platform that can essentially convert any magnetic resonance imaging machine into a robust quantitative diagnostic tool. According to Gharagouzloo, the platform uses proprietary software to collect a new kind of data as well as an iron-oxide-based, nontoxic contrast agent to enhance the MRI’s imaging capabilities.
This enables MRI machines to produce images with 10 times better quality compared to MRI scans done with gadolinium, a toxic agent commonly used in current MRI scans. Furthermore, Gharagouzloo said, the new images are a whopping 100 times better than scans produced sans-contrast agent.
He noted that his technology can diagnose anything from neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases and kidney disease to cancer, multiple sclerosis and brain injuries. The technology could even help physicians detect complex medical conditions up to decades before their symptoms begin to manifest, giving the medical industry one of the most effective tools for treating disease and saving lives it has ever seen.
As more entities such as Astrotech Corp. (NASDAQ: ASTC) focus on revolutionizing disease detection, patients could have a better chance of experiencing the clinical outcomes they desire when starting treatment once a disease is detected early using the latest diagnostic tools from these companies.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Astrotech Corp. (NASDAQ: ASTC) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/ASTC
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