Supersensitive nuclear magnetic resonance imaging apparatus

Abstract

A supersensitive nuclear magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a superconducting magnet, a gradient magnetic field coil, a high frequency emitting coil, and a receiving coil, wherein a biosample, including at least one of cells, organic tissues, and laboratory small animals, is inserted in a sample chamber of generally 1 to 30 mm in diameter. The superconducting magnet is formed of laterally divided split magnets, and the direction of the magnetic field generated by the magnet is generally horizontal. The receiving coil is in the form of a solenoid coil, and the biosample is inserted from a direction orthogonal to the direction of the magnetic field in a generally vertical direction. The spatial resolution in imaging of the biosample is not more than one-tenth of a cell that forms the biosample.

1 . A supersensitive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)imaging apparatus comprising: 
 a sample chamber positioned to receive a biosample for image analysis at a predetermined spatial resolution;    a superconducting magnet formed of divided split magnets arranged to generate a magnetic field in a direction, and a gradient magnetic field coil arranged to generate a gradient magnetic field for irradiation to the biosample in the sample chamber; and    a solenoid type detection antenna arranged to detect a NMR signal obtained from the biosample under irradiation of the gradient magnetic field for image analysis,    wherein the biosample is inserted in the sample chamber of generally 1 to 30 mm in diameter at a center of the magnetic field from a direction orthogonal to the direction of the magnetic field, and position information is applied to the NMR signal by the gradient field.    
   
   
       2 . A supersensitive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the magnetic field generated by the superconducting magnet is not less than 14.1 T, variations per hour in Proton nuclear magnetic resonance frequencies due to variations in the magnetic field is not more than 1.0 Hz, and the uniformity of the magnetic field in a sample space is not more than 1.0 Hz in Proton nuclear magnetic resonance frequencies.  
   
   
       3 . A supersensitive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined spatial resolution is not more than 1 micron.  
   
   
       4 . A supersensitive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging apparatus comprising: 
 a sample chamber positioned to receive a biosample for image analysis at a predetermined spatial resolution;    a superconducting magnet formed of divided split magnets arranged to generate a magnetic field in a direction, and a gradient magnetic field coil arranged to generate a gradient magnetic field for irradiation to the biosample in the sample chamber; and    a receiving coil arranged to detect a NMR signal obtained from the biosample under irradiation of the gradient magnetic field for image analysis, wherein the biosample is inserted in the sample chamber of generally 1 to 30 mm in diameter at a center of the magnetic field from a direction orthogonal to the direction of the magnetic field, and    wherein the receiving coil is formed of one of oxide high temperature superconducting material and magnesium diboride, and coil temperatures are between 5K and 40K inclusive.    
   
   
       5 . A supersensitive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the predetermined spatial resolution is not more than 1 micron.  
   
   
       6 . A supersensitive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein Protein information of the bios ample can be imaged as two-dimensional or three-dimensional image information.  
   
   
       7 . A supersensitive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) Imaging apparatus comprising: 
 a sample chamber positioned to receive a biosaniple for image analysis at a predetermined spatial resolution;    a superconducting magnet formed of divided split magnets arranged to generate a magnetic field in a direction, and a gradient magnetic field coil arranged to generate a gradient magnetic field for irradiation to the biosample in the sample chamber; and    a receiving coil arranged to detect a NMR signal obtained from the biosample under irradiation of the gradient magnetic field for image analysis, wherein the biosample is inserted in the sample chamber of generally 1 to 30 mm in diameter at a center of the magnetic field from a direction orthogonal to the direction of the magnetic field, and    wherein the magnetic field generated by the superconducting magnet is not less than 14.1 T, variations per hour in Proton nuclear magnetic resonance frequencies due to variations in the magnetic field is not more than 1.0 Hz, and the uniformity of the magnetic field in a sample space is not more than 1.0 Hz in Proton nuclear magnetic resonance frequencies.    
   
   
       8 . A supersensitive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging apparatus comprising: 
 a sample chamber positioned to receive a biosample for image analysis at a predetermined spatial resolution;    a superconducting magnet formed of divided split magnets arranged to generate a magnetic field in a direction for irradiation to the biosample in the sample chamber; and    a receiving coil arranged to detect a NMR signal obtained from the biosarnple for image analysis,    wherein the biosample is inserted in the sample chamber of generally 1 to 30 mm in diameter at a center of the magnetic field from a direction orthogonal to the direction of the magnetic field, and    wherein the predetermined spatial resolution for image analysis of the biosample is not more than 1 micron.    
   
   
       9 . A supersensitive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging apparatus comprising: 
 a sample chamber positioned to receive a protein sample for image analysis at a predetermined spatial resolution;    a superconducting magnet formed of laterally divided split magnets arranged to generate a magnetic field in a direction for irradiation to the protein sample in the sample chamber; and    a solenoid type detection antenna arranged to detect a NMR signal obtained from the protein sample for image analysis,    wherein the protein sample dissolved into liquid in a sample tube is inserted and placed in the sample chamber from a direction orthogonal to the direction of the magnetic field, a protein crystal can be grown in the magnetic field, the predetermined spatial resolution is obtained for observation of the surface property of the protein crystal and crystal growth conditions can be controlled by obtained information.    
   
   
       10 . A supersensitive nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging apparatus comprising: 
 a sample chamber positioned to receive a sample for image analysis at a predetermined spatial resolutions    a superconducting magnet formed of laterally divided split magnets arranged to generate a magnetic field in a direction for irradiation to the sample in the sample chamber; and    a receiving coil arranged to detect a NMR signal obtained from the sample for image analysis,    wherein the sample dissolved into liquid in a sample tube is inserted and placed in the sample chamber from a direction orthogonal to the direction of the magnetic field, a crystal can be grown in the magnetic field, the predetermined spatial resolution is obtained for observation of the surface property of the crystal on site and crystal growth conditions can be controlled by obtained information.