British scientist awarded Nobel prize

A British scientist is celebrating today after being named as joint winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine.

Sir Peter Mansfield, from Nottingham, England, and Paul Lauterbur, from Urbana, Illinois, USA, share the recognition and kudos that an award of this kind brings – along with the 10 Swedish krono (£775,000) reward.

The Nobel institute has recognised both men for their work concerning "magnetic resonance imaging" – or the scanning of internal organs with exact and non-invasive methods, such as the MRI scan.

Mr Mansfield's research made it possible to develop useful imaging techniques, and showed how extremely fast imaging could be achievable.

Mr Lauterbur's work made it possible to build up two-dimensional pictures of structures that could not be visualized with other methods.

In a statement, the award panel said: "This year's Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine have made seminal discoveries concerning the use of magnetic resonance to visualize different structures. These discoveries have led to the development of modern magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, which represents a breakthrough in medical diagnostics and research."

Despite, the initial discoveries occurring in 1952, in the beginning of the 1970s, this year’s Nobel Laureates made pioneering contributions, which later led to the applications of magnetic resonance in medical imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, is now a routine method within medical diagnostics. Worldwide, more than 60 million investigations with MRI are performed each year, and the method is still in rapid development. MRI is often superior to other imaging techniques and has significantly improved diagnostics in many diseases. MRI has replaced several invasive modes of examination and thereby reduced the risk and discomfort for many patients.

MRI examinations are very important in diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of cancer. The images can exactly reveal the limits of a tumour, which contributes to more precise surgery and radiation therapy. Before surgery, it is important to know whether the tumour has infiltrated the surrounding tissue. MRI can, more exactly than other methods, differentiate between tissues and thereby contribute to improved surgery.

(gmcg)