Magnetic Nanoparticle Detection and Separation by Magnetic Relaxation Time

Abstract

Wearable devices configured to detect the presence, concentration, number, or other properties of nanoparticles disposed in subsurface vasculature of a person are provided. The wearable devices are configured to magnetize the nanoparticles at an upstream location of subsurface vasculature and to detect, using a magnetometer, magnetic fields produced by the magnetized nanoparticles at a downstream location of subsurface vasculature. In some embodiments, the nanoparticles are configured to bind to an analyte of interest and detected properties of the magnetized nanoparticles can be used to determine the presence, concentration, or other properties of the analyte. Detecting magnetic fields produced by the magnetized nanoparticles can include detecting the fields directly, detecting an effect of the magnetic fields on nuclear magnetic spins of atoms proximate the magnetized nanoparticles, producing a time-varying magnetic field and detecting a time-varying magnetic field responsively produced by the magnetized nanoparticles, or some other method(s).

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.