###Nanoparticle contrast agents for dark field x-ray imaging
Project ID: 2228bd1035 (You will need this ID for your application)
Research Theme: Healthcare Technologies
UCL Lead department: Division of Medicine
Lead Supervisor: Marco Endrizzi
Project Summary:
Why this research is important:
Dark-Field x-ray imaging (DF-X-ray) has recently emerged as an alternative to traditional X-ray imaging. By detecting X-ray scattering, DF-X-Ray offers greater sensitivity and higher contrast images than established absorbance-based clinical X-ray. To aid diagnosis, injectable contrast agents are also often given to enhance disease-associated features. However no one has yet developed injectable agents that exploit the alternative physics of dark-field X-ray imaging. We believe the use of DF-X-ray with specially-designed contrast agents would improve the diagnosis of millions of patients for which current x-ray CT has insufficient accuracy, while allowing lower doses to be given per patient - reducing the toxic side-effects vs those currently on the market.
Who you will be working with:
This project will be jointly supervised by Marco Endrizzi, Professor of Experimental Physics, and Dr Stephen Patrick, Lecturer in Medical Imaging, both at UCL. Support in materials and nanoparticle chemistry will be provided by established collaborator Dr Joseph Bear (University of Kingston).
What you will be doing:
Nanoparticles from a range of materials (gold, platinum, tungsten, iron, barium, titanium etc), shapes (spherical, multi-core, rod, star, disc etc.) and sizes (nanometer to micrometre range), will be screened to quantify x-ray scattering in tissue-simulating samples. Lead candidates will then be evaluated and optimised for biocompatibility in cell-based assays, before in vivo testing for a range of diagnostic applications in mouse disease models. In vivo imaging will be done with custom-made small animal DF-X-ray devices, with higher-resolution data from ex vivo organs obtained at UK’s national synchrotron facility.
Who we are looking for:
The ideal candidate would be excited to be developing new technology, and open to working in an interdisciplinary environment, spanning physics, medical imaging, biology, and materials chemistry. Candidates with a background in engineering, physics, biology, or chemistry will be considered.