Principal Investigator:
Eliza Motovilova, Postdoctoral Associate in Radiology
Background & Unmet Need
- MRI uses radiofrequency (RF) coils to obtain imagesof internal anatomy
- Current MRI techniques use rigid RF coil arrays toaccommodate a wide range of patient anatomies
- Arrays that better conform to the anatomy of interestyield better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)
- While newer, flexible RF designs improve thisvolume issue, full SNR optimization requires that RFcoils be stretchable
- Current efforts for stretchable RF coils suffer fromdetuning during stretching or require outside circuitryto retune coils
- Unmet Need: RF coils which are both stretchableand flexible to conform to patient anatomy and areautomatically tunable
Technology Overview
- The Technology: The inventors have developed astretchable and autotuning RF coil array for MRI
- In this RF coil, liquid metal is embedded in a softpolymer, which allows it to conform to a variety ofpatient shapes
- The design of the proposed coil includes astretchable interdigital capacitor, which reducesresonance frequency shift with stretching
- PoC Data: In bench measurements, the proposedcoil had a frequency shift of only 0.4% at 27%stretch, compared to the control coil at 4%
- In vivo, the proposed coil showed a 60% SNRincrease compared to a dedicated knee coil array
Technology Applications
- General MR imaging with increased resolution
- More effective MRI for challenging anatomies
- Wearable MRI technology
Technology Advantages
- Design provides higher SNR for better imaging
- Flexible and stretchable design can be worn bypatient and conform to a variety of anatomies
- Coils are autotuning, so there is no need for externaltuning circuits or equipment
Resources
Intellectual Property
Patents
- PCT Application Filed WO2022232416A1: "Self-tuning liquid metal rf coil and coil array for mri." (Published Nov 3, 2022)
Cornell Reference
- 9669
Contact Information
For additional information please contact
Louise Sarup
Associate Director, Business Development and Licensing
Phone: (646) 962-3523
Email: lss248@cornell.edu