Prof. Charles V. Sammut (centre), Dr Lourdes Farrugia (second from left), Dr Eman Farhat (second from right), Kevin Mizzi (right) and Julian Bonello (left) at the first International Conference on Biomedical Applications of Electromagnetic Fields, FESB, Split, Croatia.
Five members of the Electromagnetics Research Group (EMRG), led by Professor Charles V. Sammut, participated in the First EMF-MED World Conference on Biomedical Applications of Electromagnetic Fields which was followed by the first , held in Split, Croatia, from 10 to 15 September.
Dr Lourdes Farrugia co-chaired two sessions entitled ‘Electromagnetic-based Thermal Therapies (COST Action MyWAVE)’, with Dr Raquel Conceicao and ‘Dielectric and magnetic properties of biological materials’ with Dr Azadeh Peyman. Dr Farrugia also presented her recent work on the dielectric characterization of magnetic nanoparticles produced by living organisms for medical use. This research project is being conducted in collaboration with the Land Forces Academy in Romania and aims to investigate the use of these nanoparticles for use in both magnetic hyperthermia and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as contrast-enhancing agents.
During the three day conference, Julian Bonello presented part of his work carried out during his Ph.D., under the guidance of Prof. Sammut and Dr Farrugia. The work presented results concerning the dielectric properties of brain tissue, and how these vary as a function of frequency and temperature. Mr Bonello’s work was very well received.
Following the three day conference, Dr Eman Farhat, Kevin Mizzi and Julian Bonello, along with Dr Lourdes Farrugia and Prof Charles V. Sammut, participated in the first EMF-Med Training School, during which Dr Farrugia delivered a very interesting presentation entitled ‘MyWAVE & Introduction to dielectric properties & measurements’. Aside from providing valuable information about COST Action MyWAVE, which is chaired by Dr Farrugia, the lecture gave a very good introduction to the measurement of dielectric properties of biological tissues, and outlined the importance of accurate knowledge of these parameters for the medical device community.
