Lab on a chip phased-array MR multi-platform analysis system.
We present a lab on a chip (LOC) compatible modular platform for magnetic resonance (MR)-based investigation of sub-millimetre samples. The platform combines the advantages offered respectively by microcoils (high resolution at the microscale) and macroscopic surface coils (large field of view) as MR-detectors and consists of a phased array of microcoils (PAMs) providing a flat MR-sensitive area of 18.3 mm(2) with a B(0)-field uniformity better than 0.25 ppm in the sensor centre area. We demonstrate both high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and NMR spectroscopy using this platform. To demonstrate the application for biological samples, we report MR imaging of fish oocytes with an in-plane resolution of 30 × 30 μm(2) and a contrast to noise ratio of 10 for a scan time of only 13 min 39 s. We have also demonstrated high-resolution spectroscopy of a water phantom achieving 11 ppb (4.5 Hz at 400 MHz) linewidth and an SNR of 28 for only 12 s scan time. State of the art automatic wire bonding technology in conjunction with MEMS techniques has been employed to manufacture the platform with potential applications in MR-investigation of planar samples.
University of Freiburg, Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK), Lab of Simulation, Georges-Köhler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg, Germany. gruschke@imtek.de
Oliver G
OG
Gruschke
Nicoleta
N
Baxan
Lars
L
Clad
Kai
K
Kratt
Dominik
D
von Elverfeldt
Andreas
A
Peter
Jürgen
J
Hennig
Vlad
V
Badilita
Ulrike
U
Wallrabe
Jan G
JG
Korvink
D004867:Equipment Design; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D056656:Lab-On-A-Chip Devices; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*