Working to expand access of state-of-the-art medical imaging to
underdeveloped regions around the world, GE Global Research, the
technology development arm for the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE),
has been awarded a four-year, $3.27 million award from National
Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop new magnet technology that will
make MRI systems less costly and easier to site.
“By developing a cryogen-free magnet, we can reduce the
overall size, cost and siting requirements of new MRI systems and make
them easier to site in areas where the infrastructure is not as
well-developed.”
In magnetic resonance imaging, the magnet is the key part of the system
that enables detailed images of tissue inside the body to help doctors
and clinicians make critical diagnoses. To obtain images with such high
resolution and quality, the magnet must be kept at super cool
temperatures of -269 degrees Celsius. That’s only a few degrees above
absolute zero and as cold as outer space. Cryogenic liquids, or liquids
at ultra-low temperatures, are used today to keep the magnet this cool.
Because cryogenic liquids are used, special venting and other room
specifications must be met that can make MRI systems more costly and
difficult to site. As part of this project, GE researchers are
developing a cryogen-free magnet that would considerably reduce these
costs and siting requirements.
“The use of cryogenic liquids limits where MRI systems can be placed
today, and we want to change that so more people around the world can
have access to this vital diagnostic imaging technology,” said Minfeng
Xu, Principal Investigator on the MRI magnet project from GE Global
Research. “By developing a cryogen-free magnet, we can reduce the
overall size, cost and siting requirements of new MRI systems and make
them easier to site in areas where the infrastructure is not as
well-developed.”
The magnet GE researchers are developing will be smaller in size and
require less wire to support an MRI scanner. The reduction in wire would
also help reduce the overall cost of an MRI system.
“The whole idea is to create a more highly mobile, less costly MRI
system platform that delivers the same high resolution and quality of
imaging for patients,” Kathleen Amm, Lab manager, Electromagnetics and
Superconductivity added.
A key strength of MRI scanners is the ability to differentiate various
soft tissues inside the body. Clinicians typically use them for brain,
cardiovascular and musculoskeletal imaging as well as for imaging of the
body’s major organs.
The development of a lower-cost mobile MRI platform would help support
GE’s healthymagination vision by expanding MRI use into underserved
communities worldwide. Healthymagination represents GE’s commitment to
drive new technologies and products that reduce costs, improve quality
and increase access to healthcare.
The principal objective of the program is to develop technologies that
enable low-cost whole-body MRI systems that are easier to site and
maintain the highest degree of image quality. With the successful
development of the proposed magnet technologies, MRI systems can be
realized with cost and sitability requirements comparable to today’s
low-cost permanent magnet systems (magnetic field of 0.2 – 0.35 T), but
with a high magnetic field (1.5 – 3.0T) and excellent image quality
comparable to existing mainstream and premium superconducting systems.