Determination of magnetic particle distribution in biomedical applications by X-ray microtomography

In biomedical application of ferrofluids the resulting biodistribution of the magnetic nanoparticles is a crucial parameter for the effect of the therapeutic approach. Usually the biodistribution is determined by histological cuts of the investigated specimen, a technique which provides only a very local information about the overall distribution of the magnetic material, e.g. in a tumor. Here we will introduce X-ray microtomography as a tool for a three-dimensional analysis of the distribution of magnetic nanoparticles in biological applications. Within the experiments presented here a spatial resolution of 80 μm could be achieved which can be enhanced to approximately 2 μm by the use of a synchrotron as X-ray radiation source.