A new molecular technique using modified diamonds could increase the sensitivity of an MRI and improve patient diagnosis, according to a March 28 press release from the University of Melbourne.  

The study, published online March 28 in Nature Communications, involved researchers engineering defects in diamond crystals that exert a controlled quantum mechanical influence over the nuclear spins in nearby molecules, forcing them to polarize in a specific way. Researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia explained that the modified diamonds could be used to create a "quantum hyperpolarization" chip where a target molecular contrast agent could be flowed.  

"The quantum mechanical interaction between target and quantum probes is harnessed to transfer the polarization from the diamond to the agent, which could be injected into, or inhaled by, a patient prior to their MRI," according to the press release. "The agent retains its polarization long enough to, for example, travel to a tumor site, making it easier to image through MRI," according to the press release.  

Overall, the researchers hope the technique will increase the strength of the magnetic field in molecules and improve detection by MRI.  

"The superconducting magnets that produce these fields are also the reason MRI scanners cost millions of dollars, as the magnets need to be kept at cryogenic temperatures," said Lloyd Hollenberg, PhD, a professor of physics at the University of Melbourne and director of the university's Center for Quantum Computation & Communication Technology, in a prepared statement. "Clearly a disruptive approach is needed, so we look to using quantum technology to produce a greater signal intensity of certain molecular targets at the atomic level."