Department of Physics Seminar Series

Biomagnetic Materials for Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer and Neurological Diseases

Dr. Ravi Hadimani

Gadolinium possesses a high magnetic moment and low magnetocrystalline anisotropy, making it a soft rare-earth ferromagnet near room temperature with strong biomedical potential.

In this talk, I will present the development of Gd₅Si₄ nanoparticles exhibiting soft ferromagnetism above 300 K and significant T₂ relaxation reduction measured using a 7 T MRI system. A magnetic field-assisted size separation technique enables tuning of transition temperatures for self-regulating hyperthermia for cancer treatment and MRI-guided thermometry. The seminar will also highlight advances in ultra-focal Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) coils developed at VCU using high-permeability magnetic cores and shielding materials. Ongoing work explores the use of high-permeability nanoparticles as flux concentrators to enhance focality and depth of stimulation for treating neurological disorders such as PTSD and Parkinson’s disease.