Magnetic particle imaging may sound incredibly soporific, however, the technology (which uses the magnetic properties of iron-oxide nanoparticles injected into the bloodstream), has just been used in a pre-clinical study to generate unprecedented real-time images of arterial blood flow and volumetric heart motion.  In plain English, that means there's a glitzy new machine that gets amazing 3-D images of the heart.

In the past few decades its become possible to peer inside the human body and discern ever finer details of its functions.  The technology that makes that possible is magnetic-resonance imaging (MRIs).  The particle imaging machine is a new type of scanner that aims to work alongside an MRI and allows doctors to watch how blood flows through organs.

MRIs already work in an ingenious way, relying on the fact that the human body is mostly water, and that different organs contain different arrangements of the wet stuff.  Placing a person in a strong magnetic field and then zapping them with a carefully chosen pulse of electromagnetic radiation (radio waves) emits radio signals that are detected and interpreted by the scanner, which builds up a picture of the person's insides.

The new technology, being developed by Philips Research in Hamburg, compliments MRI.  It measures the magnetic properties of tiny particles of iron-oxide (more commonly known as rust) that are injected into the bloodstream.  The new technique creates a three-dimensional image of the flow of the magnetic particles injected into the bloodstream.  This can then be overlaid on an anatomical map of the body provided by an MRI scan.

Scaling up the technology from the current test machine calls for a considerable feat of engineering that will take a few more years before it's readily available.  But Philips, which also makes MRI scanners, is confident it can be done. 

Besides working with an MRI, such a machine could also complement the results from other scanners, including computerised-tomography (CT) machines, which use X-rays.  Both MRI and CT can produce three-dimensional pictures from lots of two-dimensional slices through the body.

When it becomes possible to view the blood flowing within them, the kind of images avaliable today will spring to life, yielding even more detailed pictures and helping to improve medical diagnosis and treatment.

Considering the cost of MRIs is generally picked up through most PMI schemes (and these kinds of scans are likely to cost more), it's probably worth keeping an eye on magnetic particle imaging developments in the coming year or two.