Advances in biomagnetic research using high- T_c superconducting quantum interference devices

This review reports the advances of biomagnetic research using high- T _c superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). It especially focuses on SQUID-detected magnetocardiography (MCG), magnetically labeled immunoassays (MLIs) as well as nuclear magnetic resonance and imaging (NMR/MRI). The progress in MCG that scientists have made and the encountered challenges are discussed here. This study includes the early detection of the electromagnetic change in cardiac activity in animal studies of hypercholesterolemic rabbits, which suggests the possibility of early diagnosis of cardiac disease in clinical applications. The progress on MLIs using measurements of remanence, magnetic relaxation and magnetic susceptibility reduction is presented. The wash-free immunomagnetic reduction shows both high sensitivity and high specificity. NMR/MRI of high spectral resolution and of high signal-to-noise ratio are addressed and discussed. The proton-phosphate J-coupling of trimethyl phosphate ((CH₃)₃PO₄) in one shot in microtesla fields is demonstrated. The prospects of biomagnetic applications are addressed.