Biomagnetics developed for use in new breast cancer tests

Figure 1: (a) Schematic of the HistoMag magnetic microscope. The arrow points to a glass slide for mounting biopsy tissue. (b) Cross-section through the long axis of the glass slide, showing the bobbins for the applied magnetic field and the pick-up coils. (c) Photograph of the pick-up coils, which contain 10 turns each, have an inner diameter of 1.0 mm, and an outer diameter of 2.0 mm. (d) Data recorded on a test sample comprising 1 ìg of iron per square mm, illustrating the sensitivity (ca. 10 ng per sq. mm) and spatial resolution (ca. 1 mm) of the existing prototype.

About the London Centre for Nanotechnology

The London Centre for Nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary joint enterprise between University College London and Imperial College London. In bringing together world-class infrastructure and leading nanotechnology research activities, the Centre aims to attain the critical mass to compete with the best facilities abroad. Research programmes are aligned to three key areas, namely Planet Care, Healthcare and Information Technology and bridge together biomedical, physical and engineering sciences. Website: www.london-nano.com

About University College London

Founded in 1826, UCL was the first English university established after Oxford and Cambridge, the first to admit students regardless of race, class, religion or gender, and the first to provide systematic teaching of law, architecture and medicine. In the government's most recent Research Assessment Exercise, 59 UCL departments achieved top ratings of 5* and 5, indicating research quality of international excellence.

UCL is in the top ten world universities in the 2007 THES-QS World University Rankings, and the fourth-ranked UK university in the 2007 league table of the top 500 world universities produced by the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. UCL alumni include Marie Stopes, Jonathan Dimbleby, Lord Woolf, Alexander Graham Bell, and members of the band Coldplay. Website: www.ucl.ac.uk

About the Royal Society

The Royal Society promotes collaboration between science and industry through a range of initiatives including science policy studies, networking events, funding schemes, and courses to help scientists develop the commercial potential of their research. The Society’s major innovation awards are supported by a generous bequest by the late Dr Brian Mercer OBE FRS, and provide funding to test the viability of an idea or concept though to near-market commercialisation ensure sustainability. Website: royalsociety.org