A Low-Cost Cryosusceptometer

描述（由申请人提供）：临床上需要一种安全、准确、经济有效且易于获得的非侵入性体内铁储备测量方法。一种基于低温超导（LTS）的精确的、临床验证的超导仪已经存在了二十多年，但其复杂性、成本（约1，000，000美元）和对液氦的需求限制了它在少数研究中心的使用。考虑到液氦的要求，以及自其开始以来没有显著降低成本的事实，人们普遍认为超导超导电阻测量法不太可能进入一般的临床实践。高Tc超导性的发现和最近出现的基于超导体的柔性材料极大地改变了技术图景。在第一阶段，我们将这些新材料与其他一些最新进展相结合，并克服了广泛实施的技术障碍。具体来说，我们开发了一种使用传统磁传感器和非常创新的通量集中器的原理验证仪器。最近低振动和小质量的制冷机的可用性，使仪器只依赖于壁功率的操作和简单的低温。新提出的仪器将有一个材料零件的成本往往比ITS系统的几倍，更简单的操作和维护。一种新的测量方法已经开发出来，消除了昂贵和不可靠的元素，同时承诺等效或上级灵敏度。我们的第二阶段目标是在第一阶段取得的巨大进展的基础上，建造一个准确、廉价、可以由没有受过专门技术培训的人员操作的原型低温冷冻仪。一个简单的低成本的冷冻干燥仪将满足在广泛的铁储存（0.2毫克/克湿重以上10毫克/克）的准确的临床铁评估的迫切需要。它还有望在医学和工业上开辟超导电流测量的其他应用。为了实现这一目标，我们提出了一个分步开发计划，最后对20名铁超载（地中海贫血和镰状细胞）患者和5名正常对照受试者进行了初步临床评估。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is an established clinical need for a non-invasive measure of body iron stores that is safe, accurate, cost effective and readily available. An accurate, clinically validated susceptometer based on low-temperature superconductivity (LTS) has been available for more than two decades, but its complexity, cost (~$1,000,000), and need for liquid helium have restricted its use to a handful of research centers. Given the liquid helium requirement, and the fact that no significant cost reduction has occurred since its inception, it has been widely felt that superconducting susceptometry is unlikely to enter general clinical practice. The discovery of high-Tc superconductivity and the recent emergence of flexible materials based employing superconductors have dramatically altered the technical picture. In Phase I, we combined these novel materials with a number of other recent advances and overcame the technical barriers to widespread implementation noted. Specifically, we developed an proof-of-principle instrument using conventional magnetic sensors and a very innovative flux concentrator. The recent availability of low vibration and small mass cryocoolers has made the instrument depend only on wall power for operation and uncomplicated cryogenics. The new proposed instrument will have a material parts cost often times less than the ITS system and be much simpler to operate and maintain. A new measurement methodology has been developed that eliminates the costlier and unreliable elements while promising equivalent or superior sensitivities. Our Phase II goal is to build on our strong progress in Phase I and construct a prototype cryosusceptometer that is accurate, inexpensive and can be operated by personnel who have no specialized technical training. A simple low-cost cryosusceptometer will satisfy the pressing need for accurate clinical iron assessment over a wide range of iron stores (0.2 mg/g-wet weight to above 10 mg/g). It also promises to open up a number of other applications for superconducting susceptometry, in both medicine and industry. To achieve this, we propose a step-by-step development program that concludes with a preliminary clinical evaluation involving twenty iron overloaded (thalassemic and sickle-cell) patients and five normal control subjects.