3D of the atomic structure through MRI?

Microscope revolution that perform three-dimensional imaging of complex. Sounds good! MRI that can "see" individual atoms in three dimensions. Sounds great.

Researchers Gerd Binning and Heinrich Rohrer of IBM's Zurich Research Laboratory won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physics for inventing the scanning tunneling microscope, which images individual atoms on electrically conducting surfaces.

Scientists would like to reach the ultimate meaning of imaging complex; the goal is to perform three-dimensional imaging of complex structures like molecules with atomic resolution. This would allow scientists to study the atomic structures of molecules such as proteins which would represent a huge breakthrough in structural molecular biology.

This method makes MRI capability to Nano scale level for the first time and represents a major milestone in the quest to build a microscope that can "see" individual atoms in three dimensions of logically using Magnetic Resonance Force Microscopy (MRFM).

The question is what are the advantages of MRFM?
What MRFM can offer?

It is hard to say that MRFM is weak technology where MRFM offers imaging sensitivity that is 60,000 times better than current MRI technology. MRFM uses force detection to overcome the sensitivity limitations of conventional MRI to view structures that would otherwise be too small to be detected. How ever we need 100 million atoms to get a signal in MRI, but scientists are looking forward in the near future to reach this limit.

The ability to directly image the detailed atomic structure of proteins would aid the development of new drugs.

Prof. Dr. Mohamed S. El Kayyali
IEEE, BCS, DICOM member
Kayyali Edge Detection Theory Founder

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