New breakthrough made in ultra high-resolution MRI scanning

European researchers have made a breakthrough in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology that could allow higher resolutions to be captured than ever before.

A joint team from ETH Zurich and the University of Leipzig have developed a different and vastly more sensitive measurement technique for MRI signals, using a novel diamond sensor chip with an optical readout in a fluorescence microscope.

This allowed them to detect the signal from a single hydrogen atom, moving a step closer to the goal of imaging at the level of single molecules.

In future, it is hoped that it will be possible to use MRI to study the spatial structure of biomolecules such as proteins. Nano-MRI could also allow molecules to be labelled by isotopes, providing a means for site-specific image contrast.

Christian Degen, professor at ETH Zurich's laboratory for solid state physics, said: "MRI is nowadays a mature technology and its spatial resolution has remained largely the same over the last ten years. Physical constraints preclude increasing the resolution much further."

MRI uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body. It can help diagnose conditions, plan treatments and assess how effective previous therapies have been.