CoS-MRXI - Compressed sensing for magnetorelaxometry imaging of magnetic nanoparticles

• Applicants: Professor Dr.-Ing. Daniel Baumgarten; Dr. Frank Wübbeling, since 10/2018
• Subject Area: Mathematics ; Medical Physics, Biomedical Technology
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 273505405

• Final Report Year: 2020

Final Report Abstract

Magnetic nanoparticles offer a variety of promising biomedical applications, in particular for cancer therapy. The quantitative knowledge of the particle distributions is crucial for the safety and efficacy of these applications. Currently, no clinically available technology exists for the quantitative detection of the nanoparticles in vivo. Magnetorelaxometry imaging (MRXI) using inhomogeneous excitation fields is capable of quantitively measuring the distribution of magnetic nanoparticles. In this project, a significant step towards the clinical application of this technology was achieved by theoretical findings, algorithmic developments and experimental investigations. In this respect, methods of compressed sensing, among others, were applied and adapted to magnetorelaxometry imaging in order to develop suitable excitation sequences for existing imaging setups as well as design approaches for the excitation and sensor arrangements in future setups. Thereby, considerable improvements in terms of spatial resolution and significant reduction in measurement time could be achieved. Besides the optimization of the sensor and excitation arrangements and sequences, first setups were designed, implemented and investigated using novel sensors, i.e. optically pumped magnetometers. Finally, a numerical model was developed to predict the in-vivo distribution of the magnetic nanoparticles. This prediction will be used in the future as a-priori knowledge for the reconstruction of the particle distributions in imaging approaches as well as for therapy planning, e.g. in magnetic drug targeting.

Publications

• (2018) The Inverse Problem of Magnetorelaxometry Imaging, Inverse Problems, 34(11)
  J. Föcke, D. Baumgarten, M. Burger
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6420/aadbbf)
• (2019) Douglas-Rachford algorithm for magnetorelaxometry imaging using random and deterministic activations, International Journal of Applied Electromagnetics and Mechanics, 60(S1): 63-78
  M. Haltmeier, G. Zangerl, P. Schier, D. Baumgarten
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.3233/JAE-191106)
• (2019) Optimizing Excitation Coil Currents for Advanced Magnetorelaxometry Imaging, Journal of Mathematical Imaging and Vision, 62: 238-252
  P. Schier, M. Liebl, U. Steinhoff, M. Handler, F. Wiekhorst, D. Baumgarten
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10851-019-00934-8)
• (2020) Influence of local particle concentration gradient forces on the flow-mediated mass transport in a numerical model of magnetic drug targeting, Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Material
  V. C. Gonella, F. Hanser, J. Vorwerk, S. Odenbach, D. Baumgarten
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmmm.2020.167490)
• (2020) OPM magnetorelaxometry in the presence of a DC bias field, EPJ Quantum Technology, 7(12)
  A. Jaufenthaler, V. Schultze, T. Scholtes, C. B. Schmidt, M. Handler, R. Stolz, D. Baumgarten
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.1140/epjqt/s40507-020-00087-3)
• (2020) Quantitative 2D magnetorelaxometry imaging of magnetic nanoparticles using optically pumped magnetometers, Sensors, 20(3):753-764
  A. Jaufenthaler, P. Schier, T. Middelmann, M. Liebl, F. Wiekhorst, D. Baumgarten
  (See online at https://doi.org/10.3390/s20030753)