“Join us in congratulating Bernhard Gleich and the entire MPI team for this well-earned honor.”
Bernhard Gleich and Jürgen Weizenecker and their team received the award in the Industry category for their work in developing magnetic particle imaging (MPI). Conceived in the laboratory of Philips Research and commercially developed by Bruker, MPI offers real-time images of body tissues in unprecedented quality.
This revolutionary imaging technique uses the magnetic properties of iron-oxide nanoparticles injected into the bloodstream. This technology has the potential to generate real-time 3D images of arterial blood flow and volumetric heart motion, and is currently in preclinical evaluation. Research areas include cancer, stem cell therapies and cardiovascular disease.
The European Inventor Award was launched in 2006 by the European Patent Office. An independent jury of experts in the various fields of business, science and academia evaluate entries for their contribution to technical progress, social development and wealth and job creation in Europe. Other winners include Alim-Louis Benabid in the Research category for his work on high-frequency deep brain stimulation to treat Parkinson’s disease. Helen Lee of Cambridge University took the Popular Prize for her invention of blood diagnostic kits for resource-poor regions of the globe.