IBM Research scientists, working with the Center for Probing the Nanoscale at Stanford University, have developed a “microscope” that uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The resulting images have 100 million times finer resolution than those from conventional MRI. The researchers’ achievement could allow scientists to study complex 3D structures at the nanoscale, a significant step in molecular biology and nanotechnology.
"MRI is well known as a powerful tool for medical imaging, but its capability for microscopy has always been very limited," said Dan Rugar, manager of nanoscale studies, IBM Research. "Our hope is that nano MRI will eventually allow us to directly image the internal structure of individual protein molecules and molecular complexes, which is key to understanding biological function."
By extending MRI to such fine resolution, the scientists have created a microscope that, with further development, may be powerful enough to unravel the structure and interactions of proteins, paving the way for advances in personalized healthcare and targeted medicine.
"This technology stands to revolutionize the way we look at viruses, bacteria, proteins, and other biological elements," said IBM Fellow Mark Dean, vice president of strategy and operations for IBM Research.
The advancement was made possible through a technique called magnetic resonance force microscopy (MRFM), which relies on detecting ultra small magnetic forces. Besides its high resolution, the imaging approach can "see" below surfaces and, unlike electron microscopy, doesn’t damage or destroy sensitive biological materials.
The IBM researchers applied the new technique to a sample of tobacco mosaic virus and achieved resolution down to four nanometers. (One nanometer is one billionth of a meter; a tobacco mosaic virus is 18 nanometers across.)
Learn more:
IBM Research Creates Microscope with 100 Million Times Finer Resolution than Current MRI (press release)