Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 8
Handheld NMR Systems and Their Applications
for Biomolecular Sensing
Nan Sun and Donhee Ham
Abstract
We have developed a miniature nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)
system. By combining the physics of NMR with CMOS radio-frequency ICs, we
developed a 0.1-kg palm NMR system that is 1,200 times smaller, 1,200 times
lighter, and yet 150 times more spin-mass sensitive than a state-of-the-art 120-kg
commercial benchtop system. The small NMR system can be used for disease
detection and medical diagnostics. It was demonstrated capable of detecting human
cancer cells and cancer marker proteins.
8.1
Introduction
Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is the energy exchange between a radio-
frequency (RF)-varying magnetic field and an atomic nucleus such as a hydrogen
proton, which acts like a tiny bar magnet due to its spin. Since the detailed resonance
behavior is influenced by the environment of the nucleic magnets, NMR can be used
to examine properties of a material, and thus, it has a wide array of applications in
technology and science, such as biomolecular sensing, medical imaging, and oil
detection, just to name a few.
The benefits of NMR would be broadly available, if NMR instruments can
be made small, thus, at low cost. For example, a miniature NMR biosensor may
enable disease screening in a doctor's office or a patient's home at an affordable
N. Sun
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, Austin TX
USA
e-mail:
nansun@mail.utexas.edu
D. Ham (
)
School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge MA USA
e-mail:
donhee@seas.harvard.edu
