Lung career in the United States is one of the leading causes of death, with 177,000 new cases yearly, resulting in a death rate of 158,000 people per year (1,2). There are more deaths from lung cancer than from prostate, breast and colorectal cancers combined. Unfortunately, the vast majority of lung tumors re clinically silent until the disease is terminal. Since early diagnosis can increase survival of lung cancer patients by up to 85%, new diagnostic methods are urgently needed. We propose to develop novel, high-sensitivity imaging of magnetic nanoparticles to provide specific diagnostic images of early lung tumors and potential distant metastases. Exciting recent developments in giant magnetostrictive (GMS) or magnetic shape memory (MSM) materials have led to the possibility of developing small, low-cost, room-temperature, portable, high-sensitive, fiber-optic sensors capable of robustly detecting magnetic nanopadicles, without direct contact with the skin. Magnetic nanoparticles will be conjugated with antibodies, which will target them to lung tumors. However, the technical challenges associated with developing GMS or MSM materials into deployable biomagnetic sensor arrays remain to be addressed. This Phase I proposal seeks to develop a working sensor array capable of detecting the magnetic signals produced by these nanoparticles in the lung. Therefore, overall the aim of the present proposal is: The construction, calibration and demonstration on of a prototype fiber-optic biomagnetic sensor array, based on giant magnetostrictive or magnetic shape memory materials, with the requisite sensitivity to image the magnetic signals generated by antibody-labeled magnetic nanoparticles in lung tumors.
