The Kennedy Krieger Institute is set to install the MOMENTUM Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) scanner to aid in the diagnosis of a number of diverse ailments.

Developed by Magnetic Insight, the system will be planted within the F.M. Kirby Imaging Center of the institute, equipping clinicians there with ultra-sensitive, safe, and quantitative capabilities for detecting magnetic nanoparticles anywhere in the body. Such technology will allow for the tracking of magnetically labeled therapeutic cells used to treat conditions such as dysmyelination, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, stroke, diabetes, myocardial infarction, and cancer.

"Magnetic particle imaging lies at the intersection of nanotechnology and medical imaging, producing potentially lifesaving diagnostic capabilities complementary to other current medical imaging technologies,” said Anna Christensen, president and CEO of Magnetic Insight, in a statement.
With MPI, clinicians can leverage nanoparticles for imaging functional events and deliver localized hyperthermic treatments for tumor ablation and heat-sensitive drug administration.

The center plans to utilize the system in a number of planned, multidisciplinary studies pertaining to the use of medical imaging in areas such as stem cell tracking, immunotherapy, tumor hyperthermia, diabetes treatment, gene therapy, and drug delivery.

In addition to the installation here, Magnetic Insight is working on a two-year project to build a clinical-scale neurovascular MPI system, funded with a $1.8 million grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.

“The past 30 years of medical imaging have been about squeezing every bit of information from MR, X-ray/CT, Ultrasound, and Nuclear Medicine,” Dr. Patrick Goodwill, chief technology officer and co-founder of Magnetic Insight, and leader of the project, told HCB News at the time. “MPI gives us the first new information in decades because the physics behind MPI is unique.”

Leading the installation in Baltimore will be Jeff Bulte, professor of radiology and radiological science and director of cellular imaging at the Institute for Cell Engineering at the John Hopkins University School of Medicine.

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