PFI-BIC: Innovation Transfer of the Portable Nuclear Moment Imaging Platform

来自佛罗里达大学的这个创新合作伙伴项目专注于开发核矩成像仪（NMI），这是一种利用高灵敏度光学磁力计的方向性在几秒钟内收集类似MRI图像的技术，而无需使用大型永久磁场。它的功能更像磁断层扫描而不是传统的MRI，因为来自受试者的磁场直接成像。它可以制成便携式，与MRI相比相对便宜。这项研究的更广泛的影响包括在不同领域的应用和研究，如头部创伤的医学成像，工业产品检查，农业害虫控制，生物过程的科学研究，地面穿透成像和农产品检查。核矩成像仪有可能影响日常生活的许多领域，如医学、农业、科学、工业检查和其他尚未设想的领域。一个特别令人兴奋的潜在应用是在第三世界国家，在那里，一种相对便宜的类似MRI的成像仪的可用性，可以与移动的医疗队一起旅行，这可能会改变“丛林医学”的实践方式。NMI平台和创新伙伴关系：建设创新能力（PFI：BIC）研究将作为最近成立的创新翻译中心的一部分。该中心允许学生将现实世界的研究项目迅速转移到早期原型阶段，从而教育他们早期的高科技创业技能，为整个区域创业生态系统做出贡献。项目开始时的合作伙伴：佛罗里达大学与Microfabritech/创新翻译中心，材料科学与工程，物理，数学，生物医学工程和放射学部门参与;小企业：Anitraks（盖恩斯维尔，佛罗里达州），成像软件开发公司; Synogen（盖恩斯维尔，佛罗里达州），医疗设备开发公司;和医疗工具技术（霍桑，佛罗里达州），医疗设备原型制造商。所有这三家企业都是完全参与区域创业生态系统的盈利公司。对称（圣何塞，加利福尼亚州），世界领先的原子钟和原子物理技术制造商-最近已成为该项目的合作伙伴，并将致力于优化微型磁力计的这一应用。此外，该集团与UF技术许可办公室建立了非常积极的合作伙伴关系，该办公室经常参与该地区的创业活动;创新中心，一个新成立的一站式孵化器，专门从事早期创业困难的新技术业务;以及Sid Martin生物技术中心，这是盖恩斯维尔附近的一个生物技术孵化器，与30多家活跃的小企业合作。

This Partnerships for Innovation project from University of Florida is focused on developing the nuclear moment imager (NMI) which is a technology that utilizes the directional nature of highly sensitive optical magnetometers to collect an MRI-like image in only seconds without the use of large permanent magnetic fields. It functions more like magnetic tomography than a conventional MRI, in that the magnetic fields from the subject are imaged directly. It can be made portable, and it will be relatively inexpensive compared to MRI. The broader impacts of this research include applications and research in areas as diverse as medical imaging for head trauma, industrial product inspection, agricultural pest control, scientific study of biological processes, ground penetrating imaging, and agricultural product inspection. The nuclear moment imager has the potential to affect many areas of everyday life in such widely varying areas as medicine, agriculture, science, industrial inspection, and other areas yet to be envisioned. One particularly exciting potential application is in third world countries, where the availability of a relatively inexpensive MRI-like imager that could travel with mobile medical teams could change the way "bush medicine" is practiced. The NMI platform and Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI: BIC) research will be housed as a part of the recently formed Center for Innovation Translation. This center allows students to move real-world research projects rapidly to the early prototype stage, thus educating them in early-stage high-tech startup skills, contributing to the overall regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. Partners at the inception of the project: University of Florida with the Microfabritech/Center for Innovation Translation, Materials Science and Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Biomedical Engineering, and Radiology departments participating; Small businesses: Anitraks (Gainesville, FL),an imaging software development firm; Synogen (Gainesville, FL), a medical device development firm; and Medical Tool & Technology (Hawthorne, FL), a medical device prototype manufacturer. All of three of these businesses for profit companies that are fully engaged in the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem. Symmetricom (San Jose, CA), a world leading manufacturer of atomic clocks and atomic physics technology--has recently become a partner on this project and will be working to optimize miniature magnetometers for this application. In addition, the group has very active partnerships with the UF Office of Technology Licensing ,which routinely participates in nurturing entrepreneurial activities in the region,;the Innovation Hub, a newly formed one-stop-shop incubator that specializes in getting new technological business over the early startup difficulties; and the Sid Martin Biotech Center which is a biotechnology focused incubator near Gainesville that is working with more than 30 active small businesses.