Brindle's research focuses on the use and development of new kinds of magnetic resonance imaging for investigating the biochemistry of cells, most recently in the early detection, monitoring of progression, and treatment of tumours.He has developed and patented a novel imaging agent for detecting cell death.He has also worked on the development of hyperpolarized carbon-13 MRI in cancer treatment, which involves injecting a carbon-13-labelled molecule into a tumour and using MRI to monitor how quickly it is growing or dying following drug treatment.Brindle estimates the technique to be between 10,000 and 100,000 times more sensitive than conventional techniques such as magnetic resonance spectroscopy and magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging, and its main advantage is that it can show whether cancer drugs are working within days rather than weeks or months.It has been tested on numerous different types of cancer, including lung, brain, oesophageal, and breast cancers.