The University of Liverpool has secured a major £2.1 million award from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to support cutting-edge research into next-generation medical imaging technologies
The funding has been awarded to Dr Liam O’Brian from the Department of Physics through an EPSRC Open Fellowship and will focus on developing advanced magnetic nanoparticle tracers for magnetic particle imaging (MPI) and related detection techniques.
The five-year fellowship sets Liverpool in the lead for improving the sensitivity, resolution, and versatility of magnetic tracer-based imaging, with potential applications including healthcare, pharmaceutical development, and materials testing.
Developing a new generation of magnetic tracers
Magnetic particle imaging is a medical imaging technique that uses magnetic nanoparticles as tracers to produce high-contrast, high-sensitivity images. Unlike usual imaging methods, MPI does not rely on ionising radiation and can offer real-time functional information. However, current approaches are constrained by a limited range of available tracer materials that are not optimised for future clinical use.
The project aims to overcome this challenge by designing and producing a new class of magnetic nanoparticle tracers. These will be based on advanced magnetic composite materials derived from thin-film magnetic devices similar to those used in everyday technologies such as mobile phone sensors and hard disk drives. By translating well-established thin-film magnetic materials into nanoparticle form, the research will open new possibilities for ultra-sensitive and highly tunable imaging agents.
Interdisciplinary expertise across physics and chemistry
The project brings together expertise from across the University of Liverpool, combining strengths in physics, chemistry, and nanomedicine. Researchers from the Magnetic Materials Laboratory in the Department of Physics will lead work on thin-film growth, magnetic characterisation and nanoparticle detection. This will be complemented by expertise in nanoparticle synthesis and biomedical applications from the Department of Chemistry, including collaboration with the research group of Dr Marco Giardiello.
This interdisciplinary approach will yield important advances in magnetic materials, rapidly translated into practical nanoparticle designs suitable for imaging and diagnostic applications. A key aspect of the fellowship will also be the development of high-throughput magnetic material testing, allowing large numbers of candidate materials to be evaluated efficiently.
While improving medical imaging is a main goal, the project will also explore a wide range of non-clinical applications. Working closely with industrial collaborators, the team will investigate how the new magnetic nanoparticles can be used for commercial formulation stability studies, rheological testing, and functional biomaterial imaging. These applications are particularly relevant to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, where sensitive, non-invasive testing methods are in high demand.
The research will further benefit from engagement with the Materials Innovation Factory and the Centre of Excellence for Long-Acting Therapeutics Global Health, strengthening links between fundamental research, innovation, and global health challenges.
Liverpool’s research leadership
The EPSRC Open Fellowship represents a significant investment in both the researcher and the wider research environment at Liverpool. It reinforces the university’s reputation for collaborative, interdisciplinary science and its leadership in magnetic materials and nanomedicine.
By developing new magnetic nanoparticle tracers and the tools needed to test them at scale, the project is expected to accelerate progress towards next-generation imaging technologies while creating new opportunities for industrial translation and cross-sector impact.
