Magnetic Insight, a Newark, Calif.-based diagnostic imaging technology company that specializes in magnetic particle imaging (MPI) has announced a new collaboration with the Stanford School of Medicine that will focus on developing new ways to use MPI to improve patient care.

The teams’ goals include using MPI to track cells in vivo; to develop therapies that target breast tumors; to study inflammation response in stroke, traumatic brain injury, and tumor, and more.

Christopher Contag, PhD, a professor at the Stanford School of Medicine, has been chosen to lead the collaboration’s effort to gain a better understanding of “early disease states in cancer and new therapeutic paths.” Max Wintermark, MD, a professor of radiology and the chief of neuroradiology at Stanford Health Care, will perform quantitative cerebral perfusion and vascular studies to work toward improving diagnosis of conditions such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, and brain cancer.  

“We are excited to break new ground with magnetic particle imaging so that we can better understand early cancer biology with the goal of developing personalized therapeutic strategies. Magnetic particle imaging has the potential to offer unique insight into biological events unachievable with current technologies,” Anna Christensen, Magnetic Insight president and CEO, said in a prepared statement. “We are fortunate to collaborate with Stanford Medicine with new technologies to solve critical medical issues of our time.”