Dr Liam O’Brien from the University of Liverpool’s Department of Physics has been awarded a £2.1 million Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) Open Fellowship to develop next-generation magnetic nanoparticle tracers for medical imaging and formulation testing.
Drawing on expertise from the Departments of Physics and Chemistry, the project will create novel magnetic nanoparticle tracers using advanced magnetic composite materials. These materials will be derived from thin-film magnetic devices similar to those used in mobile phone sensors and hard disk drives.
The new tracers are expected to significantly enhance the sensitivity, resolution and functionality of magnetic particle imaging and related detection techniques, offering new possibilities for ultra-sensitive functional imaging.
The project brings together specialists in thin-film growth and magnetic nanoparticle detection within the Magnetic Materials Laboratory in the Department of Physics, alongside expertise in nanomedicine and nanoparticle synthesis from the research group of Dr Marco Giardiello, Department of Chemistry, co-investigator for the project.
This interdisciplinary collaboration will translate advances in magnetic materials into state-of-the-art nanoparticle designs.
Dr O’Brien said: “Magnetic tracer-based imaging offers a powerful alternative to existing techniques, particularly in areas where MRI is limited. However, current approaches rely on a narrow range of tracer materials that are not optimised for clinical translation. Dedicated new tracers are urgently needed.
“This fellowship provides an exciting opportunity to develop new expertise in high-throughput magnetic material testing, an emerging area of strength at the University of Liverpool.”
In addition to advancing medical imaging technology, the project will work with industrial collaborators to explore wider applications of the nanoparticles, including commercial formulation stability, rheological testing, and functional biomaterial imaging.
It will also benefit from engaging with experts from the Materials Innovation Factory and the Centre of Excellence for Long-Acting Therapeutics Global Health.
Professor Laura Harkness, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the Faculty of Science & Engineering said, “Dr O’Brien has secured an exciting project which will use our strengths in magnetic materials and nano medicine to accelerate medical imaging technologies, reflecting Liam’s collaborative, innovative and interdisciplinary approach.”