Magnetic Resonance Imaging of

This study explores the hypothesis that Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) can image the process of electrolysis by detecting pH fronts. The study has relevance to real time control of cell ablation with electrolysis. To investigate the hypothesis we compare the following MR imaging sequences: T1 weighted, T2 weighted and Proton Density (PD), with optical images acquired using pH-sensitive dyes embedded in a physiological saline agar solution phantom treated with electrolysis and discrete measurements with a pH microprobe. We further demonstrate the biological relevance of our work using a bacterial E. Coli model, grown on the phantom. The results demonstrate the ability of MRI to image electrolysis produced pH changes in a physiological saline phantom and show that these changes correlate with cell death in the E. Coli model grown on the phantom. The results are promising and invite further experimental research. I n a biomedical context, electrolysis refers to the passage of low magnitude, direct current between two electrodes through a living tissue. Electrolytic ablation is the application of electrolysis for inducing irreversible damage to undesired tissues, and research into the biochemical/biophysical aspects of tissue electrolysis can be traced to the 19 th century 1 . In modern medicine, the tools available for tissue ablation are based on various