A £10million MRI scanner which will provide doctors with the most advanced images of the human body has arrived at Glasgow's newest hospital.
The ultra-powerful magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner arrived at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and is the first of its kind in the UK.
The 7 Tesla (7T) machine will be used to boost knowledge of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis, which affects more people in Scotland than most other countries in the world.
In areas such as Alzheimer’s and some types of stroke, the areas of the brain that are of interest to scientists are very small and cannot be viewed with the existing scanning technology.
The ultra-high resolution scanner has been described as one of the world’s most powerful MRI machines.
It weights more than 17 tonnes and will be used at the hospital’s new Imaging Centre of Excellence (ICE).
Robert Calderwood, chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “The installation of this high resolution scanner will provide the most advanced imaging facilities in the world on the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus.”
The University of Glasgow, along with the health board, took delivery of the scanner yesterday afternoon.
The university said it will offer researchers the opportunity to learn more about a host of health conditions.
It will initially focus on brain imaging to look at conditions such as small blood vessel disease of the brain, stroke, vascular dementia, brain tumours, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis.
Professor Keith Muir, SINAPSE chair of clinical imaging (Stroke and Brain Imaging), who will be leading a clinical research programme using the scanner, said: “The high magnetic field of the 7T scanner will allow extremely high resolution scanning of the body. This technology opens up the possibilities for new clinical and basic neuroscience research.
“In some conditions, looking at very small parts of the brain with the 7T scanner might make a big difference. In areas such as Alzheimer’s and some types of stroke, the areas of interest are very small – even microscopic – parts of the brain that we can’t see with the stechnology currently available.”
Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak, vice-principal and head of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences at the university, said: “The new 7 Tesla scanner is very important for the university, the city, Scotland and the UK.
“By locating the scanner at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, we are bringing advanced precision medicine technology closer to patients, making it arguably the most advanced imaging capability of its kind in the world for patient benefit.”
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