A revolutionary new nanoparticle developed by scientists at Imperial College London could help enhance MRI scans, giving a new lease of life to the technology.

The team has created a nanoparticle which can assemble itself into a larger particle after interacting with a tumour cell, making itself more visible to MRI scanners as a result. A special coating designed to search for special kinds of signatures from the tumour enables it to do the remarkable feat.

Trials were done on mice and the researchers hope to begin human trials within a few years. Dr Juan Gallo, one of the research team, said: “We’re now looking at fine tuning the size of the final nanoparticle so that it is even smaller but still gives an enhanced MRI image. If it is too small the body will just secrete it out before imaging, but too big and it could be harmful to the body. Getting it just right is really important before moving to a human trial.”