Development of High Throughput Synthesis Platform to Synthesize Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Magnetic Particle Imaging

Magnetic Particle Imaging (MPI) is an emerging tomographic imaging modality that detects and
quantifies the presence of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle tracers (SPIONs). It has numerous
biomedical applications, including cell therapy tracking, cardiovascular imaging, and tumor imaging. MPI
offers high-resolution images and is less invasive, reduced tissue background and attenuation, and has no
ionizing radiation compared to other imaging techniques. Imaging performance is heavily dependent on
the magnetic properties of the superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) tracers used; thus, the
goal of this research is to obtain monodisperse particles of a size optimized for MPI with magnetic
diameters similar to the physical diameter, allowing for high resolution images. Common synthesis setups
only allow one condition to be tested at a time while also using a high volume of reactants, making data
collection time consuming and wasteful during optimization. To expedite data collection and reduce
chemical waste, we developed a High-Throughput (HT) synthesis platform to test multiple variables at
once. We designed 3D-printed tube caps to allow for the introduction of gas flow to all reaction vessels
using a commercial manifold. Molten metal was introduced into the dry heat block to achieve even
heating throughout the vessels and avoid multiple nucleation events. Current efforts include adding
motorized mixing functionality to individual vessels to homogenize solution during reaction.