Thomas Friedrich

Fraunhofer Research Institution for Individualized and Cell-Based Medical Engineering

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Thomas Friedrich is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of magnetic particle imaging (MPI) and interventional medicine. His work centers on developing novel, minimally invasive tools for treating life-threatening conditions, particularly cerebral aneurysms. Friedrich’s major contribution is the conception and navigation of a helically shaped magnetic micro-robot, which can be steered untethered through a cerebral aneurysm phantom using magnetic fields. This breakthrough, detailed in his most-cited paper (77 citations), proposes a paradigm shift away from traditional catheter-guided coiling or neurosurgical clipping. He has also advanced the field of cardiovascular MPI by demonstrating the feasibility of tracking bare-metal stents—a significant challenge given their lack of inherent MPI signal—opening the door for intraprocedural imaging guidance during stent placement. With a growing citation impact and a focus on translating MPI from an emerging modality to clinical reality, Friedrich’s work is foundational for the next generation of image-guided, robot-assisted therapies.