University College London and Perspectum Limited KTP 24_25 R2

A new MRI technique could let doctors spot toxic iron deposits in the brain without a needle or a spinal tap. The problem is that iron buildup in the brain damages nerve cells, but current methods to detect it are invasive or unreliable. Patients with superficial siderosis—a rare condition where bleeding coats the brain in iron—have no good way to track their disease. Meanwhile, new Alzheimer’s drugs that slow progression can cause brain swelling, and doctors need a non-invasive way to monitor for that side effect. This project aims to develop Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping (QSM), an MRI-based method that measures magnetic properties of tissue to reveal iron levels, and prepare it for clinical trials. If successful, QSM could become a standard, non-invasive diagnostic tool. For superficial siderosis patients, it would replace repeated spinal taps with a simple scan. For Alzheimer’s patients on new antibody treatments, it would allow early detection of dangerous brain swelling, making those therapies safer to use. The work is applied—it directly targets clinical deployment, not fundamental discovery.