2007-9-14

The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for 2003 was awarded to American scientist Paul Lauterber and British scientist Peter Mansfield for commending their great achievements in MRI technology field.

Lauterber, born in a small town named Sydney in Ohio, U.S.A in 1929, had obtained B.S. of Case Institute of Technology in 1951 and PhD. in Chemistry in 1962. During 1963 to 1984, Lauterber served as a professor in Chemistry and Radiation Department of The State University of New York, Stony Brook (SB). During this period, he committed himself in studying on NMR-spectroscopy and its application. Furthermore, Lauterber popularized magnetic resonance image technology (hereinafter called MRI) into biochemistry and biophysics. From 1985 till now, he assumed the office of director of biomedical nuclear magnetic resonance (hereinafter called NMR) laboratory of University of Illinois, U.S.A.

Mansfield, born in London, Britain, in 1933, had obtained B.S. of Queen Mary, University of London in 1959 and PhD. in Physics of University of London in 1962. From 1962 to 1964, he served as the research assistant in Department of Physics, University of Illinois, U.S.A; in 1964, he shouldered the lecturer in Department of Physics, University of University of Nottingham, Britain and now he assumes the office of professor in Department of Physics of that university. Besides physics, Mansfield is quite interested in language, reading and aviation and owns double-duty pilot license for both airplane and helicopter. He further developed the theory of application of extra gradient magnetic field in stable magnetic field and established the foundation for MRI technology from theory to application.

Atom is composed by electron and nucleus. Nucleus is with positive electricity, which can go round and round in the magnetic field. The intensity and direction of the magnetic field together decide the rotating frequency and direction of the nucleus. The nucleus rotating in the magnetic field has one characteristic ¨C to absorb the electromagnetic wave whose rotating frequency is the same with it and at the same time to gain more energy. When the nucleus recovers, it will release extra energy in the form of electromagnetic wave. This phenomenon is like the resonance of fiddlestick and string while drawing the violin, and therefore it is called nuclear magnetic resonance. American scientists Felix Bloch and Edward Mills Purcell discovered nuclear magnetic resonance first in 1946 and they received the Nobel Prize in Physics for 1952. Nuclear magnetic resonance provided a new thought to MRI technology. Substance is composed by atoms whose major part is nucleus. If the substance is put in the magnetic field and adequate electromagnetic wave is used to irradiate over it, the position and the kind of the nucleus of the substance can be known through analysis of the released electromagnetic wave and precise three-dimension inner image of the substance can be protracted. If this technology is used for the inner image of the human body, this will be a diagnostic tool of vital importance.

However, there is a long way to go from theory to application. In the early 1970s, research on MRI technology was advanced greatly. In 1973, American scientist Paul Lauterbur discovered that once you put a substance in a stable magnetic field, and throw an even magnetic field (there is gradient magnetic field), irradiate the substance with adequate electromagnetic wave, certain inner section image of the substance can be protracted according to the released electromagnetic wave. Whereafter, British scientist Peter Mansfield proved it further and made improvement of it and he also discovered that the speedy variation of the uneven magnetic field can make the above method even easier while drawing the inner image of substance. In addition, he also proved that the acquired data by this method can be also analyzed per mathematical method, which established the foundation for speedy plot by computer.

On the basis of the achievements of these two scientists, the first medical use MRI device came out in 1980s. Later, some scientists removed the word "nucleus" from NMRI technology and called it MRI technology that is shortened as MRI, in order to avoid misunderstanding it as nuclear technology.

The best merit of using MRI technology is to obtain the three-dimension inner image of high accuracy of the patient without doing any harm to the human body. By taking advantage of this technology, the illness that can not be handled before can be diagnosed, in particular the pathological changes in brain and spinal cord; it can adequately go to the operation part of the patient and the brain operation can not be off this means; it can accurately trace the cancerization of the patient and establish the foundation for cancer therapy. In addition, this technology will not directly contact the human body, so it can reduce the patient's pain.