Magnetics Business & Technology - September/October 2021 - 28

INDUSTRY NEWS
Magnetic Insight Advances
Development of Magnetic Particle
Imaging Platform
MPI to track cells non-invasively in vivo or vascular imaging. It is
a simple to use nanoparticle for loading into cells for cell tracking
experiments and as a blood pool agent. The dextran magnetite
solution is well characterized and has been widely used with
magnetic resonance and magnetic particle imaging.
Recent studies include developing first human MPI imager
One of the grants in 2020, for $809,897, seeks to develop color
imagery into the company's commercial pre-clinical imager and
enable scientists and clinicians to unmix particles in bound and
unbound states.
Aided by support from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging
& Bioengineering, Magnetic Insight continues to advance the
development of its magnetic particle imaging platform designed
to bring new levels of capability to biomedical imaging, considered
indispensable for diagnosing high-mortality diseases such
as cancer, cardiovascular disease and stroke.
Now with a pre-clinical imager that is commercially available, the
company aims at scaling up to a human neurovascular imager
using its innovative technology. In 2020, it received two awards
totaling $1.5 million from the institute, an agency of the U.S. National
Institute of Health, and since 2015 has received about $5.2
million in grants from the agency for various research projects.
The company's flagship technology is magnetic particle imaging
(MPI), a method for high-contrast imaging of magnetic iron-oxide
nanoparticles with no depth attenuation and with incredible sensitivity
and specificity. A relatively recent addition to the field of
molecular imaging, key applications for it are in cancer immunology,
functionalized nanoparticle imaging, vascular disease, and
diabetes. The core technology is also growing into new applications
such as multiplexed imaging, localized therapeutic hyperthermia,
and targeted drug delivery.
Unrelated to magnetic resonance imaging, MPI quantitatively
detects magnetic nanoparticles anywhere in the body with
exceptional sensitivity. With its unique technical capabilities,
MPI enables novel applications such as the systemic tracking
of therapeutic cells during therapy, inflammation, and vascular
function. It can also leverage nanoparticles to both image functional
events and administer localized hyperthermic treatments
for tumor ablation and heat-sensitive drug delivery.
An integrated platform of products for MPI
Magnetic Insight offers an integrated platform for MPI including
scanners, localized hyperthermia systems, and reagents as complete
solutions for preclinical model development and to accelerate
cellular therapeutics development. Shown at top is the company's
Momentum imager and examples of the precision scans it
can produce. It is a fully integrated
and self-shielded pre-clinical MPI
solution. It uses a high-field gradient
main magnet geometry and a
proprietary reconstruction process
to produce the world's highest
sensitivity and resolution MPI images,
the company says.
Reagents include VivoTrax particles
for use in research MRI and
28 Magnetics Business & Technology * September/October 2021
For example, as explained in the study proposal, a scientist
could discover an antibody that binds specifically to sites of vascular
inflammation and create a targeting agent. This antibody
can be attached to a reporter, a superparamagnetic iron oxide
particle, and the combined tracer can highlight atherosclerotic
plaques. A stubborn challenge that reduces the sensitivity and
specificity of these methods is that unbound reporters greatly
outnumber bound reporters, often by 100-fold, effectively obscuring
the pathophysiology. It would be a major advance in medical
molecular imaging if bound and unbound reporters could be
separated in the image, as contrast would improve dramatically.
The unique physics of MPI allows one to distinguish bound from
unbound magnetic nanoparticles, although this technology is still
in its infancy and requires improvements to its robustness for
successful commercialization.
Recent grants include several awards for applying its technology
to neurovascular imaging. Two awards totaling $758,965 were issued
in 2020, on top of $1,066,136 in 2019. In the 2020 program,
the company plans to build the first human MPI imager. It will
build the main magnet, characterize its magnetic performance,
integrate all necessary support systems such as shielding, RF
transmit and receive and magnet control systems, characterize
the imager with phantoms, and finally evaluate with animal
cadavers.
For more info, see www.magneticinsight.com
Strong Growth at Standex as Transformation
Strategy Clicks
Reflected by higher margins and strong revenue growth, portfolio
transformation is working at Standex International. The company
reported strong results on August 12 for the most recent quarter.
Its electronics business unit, a global manufacturer of magnetic
components and the firm's largest operation, registered a 62%
jump in revenues and handsome profitability.
For the fourth quarter ended June 30, company-wide revenues
rose to $176 million, jumping 26% over the same period a year
ago. In the electronics segment, operating income increased apwww.MagneticsMag.com
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Magnetics Business & Technology - September/October 2021

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