Nobels Awarded For MRI Advances

American Paul C. Lauterbur of the University of Illinois and Briton Sir Peter Mansfield won the 2003 Nobel Prize for medicine Monday.

The pair received the prize for their discoveries in magnetic resonance imaging, a technique that reveals the brain and inner organs in breathtaking detail.

Lauterbur, 74, discovered the possibility of creating a two-dimensional picture by producing variations in a magnetic field, the key to the MRI technique.

"I'm surprised and very gratified," Lauterbur said when contacted at his home early Monday. "In particular, I believe, I think the work has been helpful to many people, and I'm happy that has been acknowledged by the Swedish academy."

Mansfield, 70, showed how the signals the body emits in response to the magnetic field could be mathematically analyzed, which made it possible to develop a useful imaging technique. Mansfield also showed how extremely fast imaging could be achievable. This became technically possible within medicine a decade later.

Lauterbur is professor of chemistry, biophysics, computational biology and bioengineering at the U of I's Center for Advanced Study. He graduated from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland in 1951 and received his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh in 1962. He has been on the staff at UI since 1985.

Lauterbur said he has worked with MRI since 1971.

"You have to be patient and you have to be optimistic to be successful in any new thing," he said.

MRI allows precise imaging of internal organs without having to do surgery, and it is important for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Worldwide, more than 60 million investigations with MRI are performed each year, the Nobel Assembly said.

MRI represents "a breakthrough in medical diagnostics and research," the Assembly said. It is used to examine practically all organs of the body, and is especially valuable for getting detailed images of the brain and spinal cord, the Assembly said.

Essentially, the technique turns hydrogen atoms in the body's tissues into tiny radio transmitters. Hydrogen atoms are plentiful because they're found in water molecules, which are very widespread in the body.

By tracking where those atoms are, an MRI machine can build up a picture of internal organs. It's a little like flying over a city at night, and discerning its outlines by noticing where the lights are.

The prize includes a check for 10 million kronor, or $1.3 million, and bestows a deeper sense of academic and medical integrity upon the winners.

There are no set guidelines for deciding who wins. Alfred Nobel, who endowed the awards that bear his name, simply said the winner "shall have made the most important discovery within the domain of physiology or medicine."

The assembly, which selects the medicine prize winner, invites nominations from previous recipients, professors of medicine and other professionals worldwide before whittling down its choices in the fall.

Last year's winners were Britons Sydney Brenner and John E. Sulston, and American H. Robert Horvitz for their discoveries about how genes regulate organ growth and a process of programmed cell suicide. Their findings shed light on the development of many illnesses, including AIDS and strokes. The award for medicine opens a week of Nobel Prizes that culminates Friday with the prestigious peace prize, the only one revealed in Oslo, Norway.