When I was a kid, my parents had one TV. It was a 19″ black and white set with a rabbit ear antenna that only picked up two networks (when the weather was clear.) Well, technology has come a long way since the 1960s, but for diagnostic tests, things haven’t been so vivid — until now. And it just might benefit rare diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF).
This month, according to a Newswise press release, researchers at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine announced a breakthrough in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Multicolor. A traditional MRI uses a powerful magnetic field, radio waves, and a computer to produce detailed pictures of the area of the body being examined. Some MRIs require an injection of a contrast material called gadolinium, which allows specific tissue to be highlighted.The new multicolor method allows doctors to use two contrast dyes at one time to map multiple characteristics of a patient’s internal organs within a single MRI. This might be very helpful when it comes to CF.
“The method we developed enables, for the first time, the simultaneous detection of two different MRI contrast agents,” says Chris Flask, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Radiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Pediatrics, and Director of the Imaging Resource Core at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Although a two-color MRI may not seem like such a big deal to the rest of the world, having two contrast agents in a single test may allow radiologists to compare healthy and diseased tissue to reveal ways to treat diseases, such as cancer, cystic fibrosis, diabetes and rare metabolic diseases.
“This multi-agent detection capability has the potential to transform molecular imaging, as it provides a critical translational pathway for studies in patients,” Flask says. “It also provides a unique imaging platform to rigorously study molecular therapies.”
So even though it may not seem as exciting as the introduction of Technicolor TVs, the multi-color MRI could very well transform the way we see diseases.
