In Britain, a new study has indicated that advancements in MRI technology may detect cancer more easily and determine in one day whether cancer drugs are working, a process that usually takes weeks or months.

The new procedure involves detecting the acidity of tissue within the body. Malignant tumors are typically very acidic. "You are imaging not just tissue structure but tissue function," said Kevin Brindle, whose study is published in the journal Nature. "We wanted to measure tissue pH, which is a surrogate for disease."

The researchers injected mice with a form of bicarbonate (more commonly known as baking soda) and watched with the MRI system. The bicarbonate, which is very basic, reacted with the acid in the cancerous tumor to produce carbon dioxide, which was detected with the MRI.

Using an emerging technique called dynamic nuclear polarization that boosts MRI sensitivity more than 10,000 times, researchers detected the pH level in the tissue. The process involves cooling a molecule to nearly absolute zero before reheating it: this keeps the molecule polarized and more easily detected on an image.

The new technique is expected to enter human clinical trials in 2009. Overall, it means fast diagnosis and more precise drug administration. "If you could see a change in tissue function you could see if a drug is working earlier," Brindle said. "If not, you could try a different drug."

Click here for the full article.