Medical Imaging for the Future

Following its inception in the 1970s, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has become an indispensable diagnostic tool of modern medicine, offering non-invasive and detailed images of the human body. Yet, despite its widespread use, MRI technology still faces challenges such as size, cost, and safety concerns. Innovative superconducting materials with can offer solutions and lead to high-performance medical imaging that is more accessible than ever.

MRI works by measuring the absorption of radio frequency radiation by hydrogen nuclei in the body in the presence of a strong magnetic field. That magnetic field is a key component of the technology, and it’s typically provided by massive superconducting coils that require liquid helium to keep them cooled to extremely low temperatures. This setup means that operating an MRI machine is very expensive, typically costing more than half the purchase price of the machine every year.

Access to MRI technology, particularly in low and middle-income nations, continues to be limited and inconsistent. This is primarily due to the substantial expenses and specialized environments necessary for traditional superconducting MRI scanners. These scanners are predominantly located in specialized radiology departments and extensive imaging facilities, which limits their deployment in other healthcare facilities. The requirements for RF-shielded rooms and significant power consumption also contribute to the overall equipment costs and hinder flexibility and patient convenience.

What if we could make MRI magnets that work in room temperature? It would mean that costly and cumbersome cooling systems can be eliminated, making MRI installations significantly smaller and more energy efficient. Using room-temperature superconductors would make MRI viable in many more medical settings, including clinics in remote areas where conventional machines are impractical. It would also remove the safety risks associated with a liquid helium cooling system.

The room-temperature superconductors that we are developing at Unearthly Materials have the added benefit that they are highly conductive even above their critical temperature. This means that current can still flow through the coil without generating much heat, mitigating the possibility of explosive magnetic quench — a feature that would make MRI machines safer in locations with hot climates and unreliable electrical supplies.

The superconducting materials we are developing come with other useful properties for MRI machines: much higher upper critical field and critical current density compared to commercially available superconductors. The most advanced current MRI machines for research use magnetic fields of around 10 tesla. We estimate that our material can generate much higher fields, opening the possibility of ultra-high-resolution imaging. Coupled with the elimination of cooling-related distortions that can affect image quality, these novel superconductors enable sharper and more detailed scans.

Our work at Unearthly Materials can bring about all these advances in MRI: the elimination of liquid helium cooling, safer failure modes, higher magnetic fields for much increased resolution, and much thinner superconducting coils. Taken together, these address the longstanding limitations of MRI technology and can bring about MRI machines that are portable, affordable, safer, and more accessible than ever, benefiting patients globally. Thanks to these remarkable materials, we are at the cusp of a new era for medical imaging that could revolutionize healthcare.