Microfluidic Magnetic Purification of High-Resolution MPI Tracers

  • Project Year: 2025-26
  • Departments Represented: MEng
  • Industry/Track: Advanced Manufacturing and New Materials, Robotics, Aerospace, or Automotive Advancements

Our capstone project focuses on improving Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) by addressing limitations in nanoparticle tracer quality. Current tracer synthesis produces inconsistent particles that reduce imaging resolution, preventing clinical-grade performance. To solve this, we developed MagStick, a geometry-controlled magnetic purification device that selectively isolates high-performance nanoparticles, followed by a silica encapsulation process that stabilizes and optimizes their structure. Together, this forms an automated purification and coating pipeline that improves tracer consistency and achieves approximately a twofold increase in imaging resolution compared to existing methods.

  • Advisor(s): Steven Conolly
  • Team: Shuqing Zhao[BioE], Prithvish Ganguly (BioE), Lucas Pierce[MSE]