Penn researchers to get 7 Tesla whole-body MRI system
Philadelphia, PA, August 28:
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
will soon be armed with a new, cutting-edge technological tool in
the field of radiology - a 7 Tesla whole-body Magnetic Resonance
Imaging (MRI) system. Penn's Department of Radiology will become the
first in the Greater Philadelphia region to acquire one of these
ultra high-field scanners. Only a handful of them are in operation
elsewhere in the United States.
Ravinder Reddy, PhD, Professor of
Radiology and Science Director of the
Metabolic
Magnetic Resonance Research and Computing Center at Penn, who is
also the principal investigator leading the effort in high-field
imaging, explains why this is such a powerful addition for research,
"Since the inception of MRI for clinical imaging and research over
two decades ago, the magnetic field strength of clinical imagers has
increased 20-fold from 0.15 Tesla initially to 3T currently, with
each increase in field strength yielding new diagnostic
capabilities. Initial results from a few laboratories suggest MRI at
even higher fields holds great promise to provide insight into
structure, function and physiology in humans not obtainable at lower
fields. An ultra high-field magnet will further improve sensitivity,
speed, and image resolution."
Reddy adds, "This system will also
pave the way to image other nuclei in the human body such as sodium
(23Na), phosphorus (31P), oxygen (17O) and carbon (13C). Imaging
these nuclei may provide disease-specific molecular and functional
information unobtainable on conventional MRIs. With further
technique development, we can detect disease in a way never seen
before."
The
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a part of the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), just announced it is awarding
Penn a High-End Instrumentation grant of $2 million toward the
purchase of the whole-body 7T MRI system. The NCRR grants are used
to fund cutting-edge equipment required to advance biomedical
research and increase knowledge of the underlying causes of human
disease.
This new system at Penn will be
utilized primarily by four centers: the
Metabolic
Magnetic Resonance Research and Computing Center (MMRRCC), the
Center for
Functional Neuroimaging (CfN), the Center for Molecular Imaging
(CEMI), and the Laboratory for Structural NMR Imaging (LSNI).
Biomedical imaging research in these four laboratories covers a wide
range of applications and innovative methodologies involving
functional brain imaging for basic and clinical neuroscience, the
study of neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders, molecular
imaging for cancer detection and treatment monitoring, novel
approaches to cardiovascular disease and tissue perfusion, arthritis
and osteoporosis. This ultra high-field magnet facility will also
serve as open resource for the entire research community at Penn and
other neighboring institutions. Details on how to access this magnet
system will be made available once the facility has become
operational.
Reddy comments, "The higher the field
strength, the better the quality of the image, helping radiologists
to improve diagnostic accuracy and detect incipient disease."
The University of Pennsylvania School
of Medicine has already assigned a space for the new 7T system on
its campus; it will be housed in the lower level of the
Stellar-Chance Laboratories. Reddy will serve as the director of the
high-field center. Reddy hopes to order the scanner by the end of
2006, then prepare the site by installing a magnetic shield, and
finally installing the magnet by mid-2007. The project will be
funded through a combination of internal and external sources
including the NCRR grant.
"We're moving technology forward with
our expertise and knowledge here at Penn. This new high-field system
will be used for research and development and eventually clinical
applications," said Nick Bryan, MD, PhD, Chair of Radiology at Penn,
"We have a strategic plan for this. A multi-disciplinary team of
researchers at Penn will use this cutting-edge technology. We view
this is an investment in our radiological future."
Penn has a rich history of being a
pioneering institution in the field of radiology, specifically in MR
technology development and translational research for biomedical
applications. The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania was the
first hospital in the nation to get and use an MRI back in 1984.
PENN Medicine is a $2.9 billion
enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education,
biomedical research, and high-quality patient care. PENN Medicine
consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
(founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the
University of Pennsylvania Health System.
Penn's School of Medicine is ranked
#2 in the nation for receipt of NIH research funds; and ranked #3 in
the nation in U.S. News & World Report's most recent ranking of top
research-oriented medical schools. Supporting 1,400 fulltime faculty
and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for
its superior education and training of the next generation of
physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.
The University of Pennsylvania Health
System includes three hospitals, all of which have received numerous
national patient-care honors [Hospital of the University of
Pennsylvania; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital;
and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center]; a faculty practice plan; a
primary-care provider network
