Mapping the Microscale Origins of MRI Contrast with Subcellular NV Diamond Magnetometry

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method using nitrogen vacancy diamond magnetometry to map subcellular magnetic fields in mammalian tissues, linking microscale magnetic phenomena to MRI contrast for improved imaging and contrast agent development.

Contribution

It presents a new experimental approach to directly connect subcellular magnetic fields with MRI contrast, advancing understanding of microscale origins of MRI signals.

Findings

Mapped subcellular magnetic fields in mammalian cells.

Connected microscale magnetic patterns to MRI contrast.

Provided insights for in vivo imaging and contrast agent design.

Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a widely used biomedical imaging modality that derives much of its contrast from microscale magnetic field gradients in biological tissues. However, the connection between these sub-voxel field patterns and MRI contrast has not been studied experimentally. Here, we describe a new method to map subcellular magnetic fields in mammalian cells and tissues using nitrogen vacancy diamond magnetometry and connect these maps to voxel-scale MRI contrast, providing insights for in vivo imaging and contrast agent design.