Kannan M. Krishnan

Biography

“Biomedical Nanomagnetics: A Spin Through Possibilities in Imaging, Diagnostics and Therapy” by Kannan M. Krishnan provides a much-needed comprehensive treatment of biomagnetics detailing the advances and challenges in using magnetic nanoparticles for medical applications. The paper, which appeared in the July 2010 issue of the IEEE Transactions on Magnetics (vol. 46, no. 7, pp. 2523–2558), addresses targeted drug delivery for cancer treatment, novel contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging, cancer therapy using magnetic hyperthermia, in vitro diagnostics based on magnetic nanoparticles, and the magnetic particle imaging technique. Dr. Krishnan presents the relevant physics of nanoscale magnetic particles and reviews their synthesis and characterization. He discusses the practical necessities for modifying particle surface chemistry to address in vivo applications while also conforming to U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations. He also reviews the new imaging modality of magnetic particle imaging and puts it into context with other imaging methods. Dr. Krishnan has been one of the pioneers of magnetic particle imaging and optimizing the particles to provide the best contrast.

An IEEE Senior Member, Dr. Krishnan is currently a professor with the Department of Materials Science and Physics at the University of Washington, Seattle.