German researchers have taken inspiration from the classic Back to the Future films in their search for a new technique for diagnosing Parkinson’s disease.
The research in Berlin is being backed by Back to the Future star Michael J Fox, who suffers from the disease.
The scientists say they have developed a "flux compensator" that uses magnetised xenon gas to enhance MRI scanning.
It aims to detect alpha-synuclein proteins, thought to herald the onset of the disease.
In the movies, the time travelling car is powered by a flux compensator, which adjusts the time line.
The new German technique adjusts the results of MRI scanning and working with infrared light enhances the magnetisation of xenon.
The scientists say it will allow for the detection of previously "inaccessibly" small amounts of a substance.
They say the technique is equivalent to enhancing the magnetic field of the scanner by 20,000 times.
The project, led by Dr Leif Schröder at the Leibniz-Institut für Molekulare Pharmakologie, is receiving nearly 350,000 dollars from the Michael J Fox Foundation over three years.
A spokesman for the Institut said: "In the tradition of Campus Buch, the latest methods in physics in the life sciences will be used to bridge the gap between the legendary flux compensator and potential applications supported by The Foundation."
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