{
  "patent_number": "US 3789832",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance to Detect Cancer in Tissue",
  "original_title": "Apparatus and method for detecting cancer in tissue",
  "summary": "This 1974 patent describes a method and apparatus using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to measure how quickly certain atomic nuclei in a tissue sample return to their normal energy state, helping to distinguish cancerous from healthy tissue.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent details a way to detect cancer by looking at the behavior of atomic nuclei within a tissue sample. It involves placing the tissue in a special machine (a nuclear induction apparatus) that uses magnetic fields. First, the nuclei are energized to a higher energy state using magnetic radiation. Then, the machine measures how long it takes for these energized nuclei to return to their normal state. This measurement, called relaxation time (specifically spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation times), is different for normal and cancerous tissues. By comparing these measured times to known standards for healthy and cancerous tissue, doctors can determine if cancer is present and how aggressive it might be. For example, claim 2 mentions using water protons as the indicator nuclei, and claim 3 describes actuating two magnetic energy sources to achieve this.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Detecting cancer using methods other than measuring NMR relaxation times.",
    "Methods that do not involve comparing measurements to established standards for normal and cancerous tissue.",
    "Detecting cancer in non-mammalian tissue (though the principles might be similar).",
    "Using nuclei other than those exhibiting deviant behavior in cancerous tissue as the primary indicator."
  ],
  "filed": "1972-03-17",
  "granted": "1974-02-05",
  "expires": "1992-03-17",
  "status": "expired",
  "holder": "Individual",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/individual",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "R Damadian",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/r-damadian"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 83,
  "tags": [
    "biotech",
    "medical_devices",
    "semiconductors",
    "software"
  ],
  "abstract": "An apparatus and method in which a tissue sample is positioned in a nuclear induction apparatus whereby selected nuclei are energized from their equilibrium states to higher energy states through nuclear magnetic resonance. By measuring the spin-lattice relaxation time and the spin-spin relaxation time as the energized nuclei return to their equilibrium states, and then comparing these relaxation times with their respective values for known normal and malignant tissue, an indication of the presence and degree of malignancy of cancerous tissue can be obtained.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3789832/mri-magnetic-resonance-imaging",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/3789832/mri-magnetic-resonance-imaging/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US3789832",
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}