1969 |
1970 |
March/71 |
Spring/71 |
Sept./71 |
March/72 |
Oct/72 |
March/73 |
1974 |
1975 |
1977 |
1980 |
1980 |
1997 |
Original
Concept
Damadian
Conceives of and proposes whole body MR scanner for the first time.(Doc:30,30a) |
Key
Discovery Makes MR Scanner Possible
Damadian
identifies T1/T2 differences between cancer and normal. He was seeking an
MR signal difference in an important disease (cancer) that would prove his
idea of an MR body scanner was a goal worth pursuing. Submits paper (Doc:1,1a) |
First
Published Article
Damadian T1/T2 findings and scanner proposal published in Science,
March 19, 1971. High pixel contrast provided by dramatic T1/T2 differences
overcomes x-ray's century-old inability to see detail in vital organs. (Doc;1,1d,1c) |
Scanning
Method Proposed
Damadian outlines voxel-by-voxel scanning method. (Doc:6,6c;
Doc:4,4a) |
Gradient
Method Proposed
Lauterbur notebook proposal of gradient methods of Gabillard, Purcell
& Carr for 1-dimension (incomplete) scan method. (Doc:3.1,
22, 40) |
First
Patent Filed
Damadian files '832 patent for 3-dimension voxel-by-voxel scan
method and T1/T2 method. Issued in '74. (Doc: 7, 30a,
20.1, 20.1a, 45)
|
2D
Scan (Image) Achieved
Lauterbur submits 2-dimension MR scan (image) method with scan
of 1mm tubes for publication (Doc: 5, 5a)
|
2D
Paper Published
Lauterbur paper published in Nature, March 16, 1973 (Doc:5,
5b) |
3D
Scan Method Proposed
Garroway, Grannell & Mansfield publish 3-dimension scan method* |
Phase
Coding Introduced
Kumar, Welti & Ernst introduce phase encoding to scan method.** |
First
Human Scan Achieved
Damadian and coworkers, Minkoff and Goldsmith, achieve first scan
(image) of the human body utilizing voxel method of patent. (Doc: 17,
17.5, 26, 27,
46) |
Phase
Coding Applied
Aberdeen group introduces spin warp method*** |
First
Commercial MRI
Damadian and FONAR introduce first commercial MRI scanner utilizing
voxel method of patent. |
Patent
Upheld
High Court on U.S. Patents and U.S. Supreme Court enforce Damadian
'832 patent. (Doc:43) |
| TIMELINE
OF MRI BIBLIOGRAPHY |
Document:
30, 30a
Health Research Council of the City of New York --- Damadian's request
to the Health Research Council of the City of New York proposing the MR
(NMR) body scanner and requesting the funds to pursue it. (“Pioneers
of NMR and MR…Bar Ilan Univ. Press, 1996, Chapt. 8, pg A3)
top
of page
|
1969 |
Document:
1,1a --- Science 1971
Damadian submits manuscript to Science on Oct. 12, 1970 reporting his
June 1970 discovery of the large tissue relaxation differences in cancer.
(Science 171 (1971) pg 1153)
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of page
|
1970 |
Document:
1,1d,1c--- Science 1971
Damadian's T1/T2 findings in cancer and normal tissues published, and
x-ray's soft tissue contrast deficiency identified by him as problematic
in medicine for cancer detection. The prospect of overcoming that deficiency
using the MR (NMR) together with the tissue relaxation to detect cancers
by apparatus external to the body is proposed. (Science 171 (1971) pg
1151-1153)
top
of page |
March
/71 |
Document:
6, 6c
State University of New York (SUNY) periodical, Downstate Reporter, publishes
Damadian relaxation discovery, his intention to build a body scanner based
on it, and his first proposal of a 3D voxel-by-voxel scanning method obtained
by passing the patient back and forth across the magnet. (“Pioneers
of NMR and MRI…Bar Ilan Univ. Press, 1996, Chapt. 8, pg A5)
top
of page |
Spring
/71 |
Document:
4, 4a
Letter from G. Donald Vickers, President Seimco Corporation, former Vice-President
of NMR Specialties Corp. where Damadian performed his original NMR measurements
on cancerous rat tissues. Vickers was also the witness to the Lauterbur
notebook entry of Sept. 1971 (Doc. 3.1b, 3.1c). The letter testifies of
the priority of: Damadian's conceptualization of the NMR body scanner,
the discovery of the relaxation differences to implement the scanner,
and the proposal of his first voxel-by-voxel method for accomplishing
the scan. (“Pioneers of NMR and MRI… Bar Ilan Univ. Press,
1996, Chapt. 8, pg A22, A23)
top
of page |
Spring
/71 |
| Document
3.1
Lauterbur notebook entry, witnessed by Lauterbur and Vickers (author of
Doc. 4) recording his proposal of the gradient for spatial discrimination
in one-dimension only (3 dimensional spatial resolution is required for
a scan). The method had been previously published in the 1950's by Gabillard
(Doc. 22) and by Carr and Purcell (Doc.40) for the same purpose (one dimensional
spatial discrimination).
The witnessed Lauterbur
notebook entry acknowledges Damadian's priority. (“Pioneers of NMR
and MRI…, Bar Ilan Univ. Press, 1996, Chapt. 9, pg B3)
top
of page |
Sept.1971 |
Document
22
Publication of the gradient for 1-dimensional spatial resolution by Gabillard
in 1951. (hebd. Seanc. Acad. Sci. (1951) Paris, 232, 1551-1553; Phys.
Rev. 85 (1952), pg 694-695)
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of page |
Sept.1971 |
Document
40
Letter to the editor by Herman Carr reports that use of gradient for spatial
discrimination was published in the 1950's prior to Lauterbur's use of
the gradient for the same purpose in 1973. (H.Carr, Phys. Today Jan 1993,
pg 94); H.Y. Carr, EM Purcell, Phys. Rev. 94, 630 (1954))
top
of page |
Sept.1971 |
| Document
7
U.S. Patent 3,789,832 (the '832 patent), filed on March 17, 1972 by Damadian
describes the use of the T1 and T2 relaxations as a method for detecting
cancer and provides the first method ever for accomplishing a scan of
the live human body.
The patent also provides
the first method ever for a means of achieving the needed 3d spatial localization
necessary to accomplish a body scan. It describes the method of using
this localization to scan the live human body to detect cancer. The patented
scanning method accomplishes the 3D spatial localization of a voxel-by-voxel
acquisition by the combined shaping of the static and rf magnetic fields
[see Doc. 45, footnote to Doc. 45 and Doc. 20.1].
top
of page |
March/72 |
Document
20.1, 20.1a
1980 Marketing brochure of Oxford Instruments describing the Oxford TMR
(topical magnetic resonance) small animal spectrometer that uses the same
voxel method as the Damadian 1972 patent. The cover is a color graphical
illustration of the saddle-shaped static magnetic field used in the Oxford
TMR spectrometer to achieve spatial localization. The brochure describes
the combined use of shaped ("focussed") static and rf magnetic
fields for spatial localization using means analogous to the Hewlett-Packard
rf "focussing" patent and the Damadian patent. The first use
by Oxford of the method was in 1980 (see-cited references and accompanying
text). (“Topical Magnetic Resonance,” Oxford Research Systems
Ltd.; Nuffield Way, Abingdon Oxfordshire OX14 1Rx, England Cat. No TMR
20, Printed in England 2M/AMSG/682)
top
of page |
March/72 |
Document
45
Hewlett-Packard patent by J. D. Larson (1993) citing Damadian 1972 patent
describes use of rf focussing for accomplishing spatial localization in
MR scans of the human body. (U.S. Patent, 5,185,573, Feb 9, 1993)
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of page |
March/72 |
Document
5, 5a, 5b
Publication submitted to Nature by Lauterbur in Oct. 1972. The citation
by Lauterbur of Damadian's prior discovery, that was in his private witnessed
notebook (Doc. 3.1, 3.1c), is not included in the publication. (Nature,
London, 242 (1973), pg. 190-191)
top
of page |
Oct./72,
March/73 |
Document
17
Publication of the first image of the live human body. (Physiol. Chem.
& Phys. 9 (1977), pg 97-100,108)
top
of page |
1977 |
Document
17.5
Publication of the first human image in an invited review in Naturwissenschaften.
(Naurwissensehaften 65 (1978) pg 250-252)
top
of page |
1977 |
Document
26
Notebook entries at the time of the first human scan. (“ Pioneers
of NMR and MRI….Bar Ilan Univ. Press 1996, Chap 8, pg A20-A21)
top
of page |
1977 |
Document
27
Publication of first scans of patients with cancer. (Physio. Chem. &
Phys. 10, (1978) pg 285-287
top
of page |
1977 |
Document
46
Report of first human scans of normal and cancerous patients at the Royal
Society in London in 1979 (Phil. Trans. Royal Society London B289 (1980)
pg. 489-500).
top
of page |
1977 |
|
Document
43
Decision of the U.S. High Court on Patents in Washington, D.C.
(Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit) affirmed by the U.S.
Supreme Court. Decision affirms that all MRI scanners make use
of the T1/T2 Damadian discovery by using T1 and T2 to control
the brightness of the image pixels in T1 and T2 images.
(Note: The overwhelming
majority of all MRI scans are T1 and T2
images), thereby creating the image contrast needed to detect
cancers. (Note: X-ray images are lacking in soft tissue contrast.)
CORPORATE
SUMMARY OF VERDICT
On May 27, 1997 the
Honorable Wm. H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice, the
United States Supreme Court, enforced the Order of the Federal Circuit
Court of Appeals and ordered G.E. to pay Fonar. G.E. paid Fonar
$128,705,766 for patent infringement. G.E. was further restrained from
any use of Fonar technology.
The Court found that
G.E. had infringed U.S. Patent 3,789,832,
MRI's first patent, which was filed with the U.S. Patent Office in 1972
by Dr. Damadian. The Court concluded that MRI machines rely on
the tissue NMR relaxations that were claimed in the patent as a method
for detecting cancer, and that MRI machines use these tissue relaxations
to control pixel brightness and supply the image contrasts that detect
cancer in patients.*
The Court also found
infringement of U.S. Patent 4,871,966 concerning
a technique of obtaining MRI images at multiple angles.
AFFIRMED
BY THE
UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT
* The patent also
discloses the first ever comparison study of the tissue
NMR relaxations of the normal tissues thus demonstrating for the first
time that the discovery by Dr. Damadian of the dramatic differences
in the NMR relaxations of living tissues disclosed in the patent is true
for living tissue in general. The discovered relaxation differences of
both the cancerous and normal tissues are and integral part of the Court
enforced 1972 patent claims (Claim 1a,1b,1c) establishing standards
for the normal tissues and malignant tissues of the same type. The NMR
relaxation differences disclosed in the patent for normal tissues as well
as for cancers are used throughout MRI imaging to supply and control
pixel contrast. The tissue NMR relaxation, which does not exist in any
other imaging modality, provides the exceptional contrast of MRI (10
to 30 times that of x-ray) and is responsible for the extraordinary beauty
of the MRI image.
http://www.law.emory.edu/fedcircuit/feb97/96-1075.html
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of page
|
1997 |
*
A.N. Garroway, P.K. Grannell and P. Mansfield
J. Phys. C: Solid State Phys. 7, (1974), L457-462
top
of page
|
|
**
J. Magn. Res 18, (1975), 69
top
of page |
|
***
Edelstein, W.A., Hutchinson, JMS, Johnson G.
Redpath T.W. Phys. Med Biol 25:751 (1980)
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of page
|
|
Note: Document numbers
correspond to the document set contained in the "Timeline of MRI" volume in the Archive and Special Collections, Medical Research Library
of Brooklyn SUNY Downstate Medical Center |
|
Alfred
Nobel's Will
Alfred Nobel's Will
required that the Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology be given for "discovery"
only. This is different than the Nobel Prize in Physics which is given
for "discovery or invention" and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
which is given for "discovery or improvement"
Below is the exact
wording of part of the translation into English of Alfred Nobel's will,
which was signed in Paris on 27 November 1895.
" The whole of
my remaining realizable estate shall be dealt with in the following way:
The capital shall be invested by my executors in safe securities and shall
constitute a fund, the interest on which shall be annually distributed
in the form of prizes to those who, during the preceding year, shall have
conferred the greatest benefit on mankind ... ; one part to the person
who shall have made the most important discovery within the domain of
physiology or medicine; ... The prizes for ... shall be awarded by ...
that for physiology or medicine by the Carolinska Institute in Stockholm;
... ''
http://www.nobel.se/medicine/articles/lindsten-ringertz-rev/
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