7T Scanner Installed at QEUH

The University of Glasgow, in partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, has taken delivery of Scotland’s first ultra-powerful 17.5 tonne 7 Tesla (7T) MRI scanner on the site of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital (QEUH).
 The £10m 7T MRI scanner will offer researchers the opportunity to learn more about a host of health conditions, initially focusing 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.
The scanner will be housed in the University’s state of the art £32m Imaging Centre of Excellence (ICE), which was made possible by £16m of funding by the UK Government and the Medical Research Council (MRC) via the Glasgow City Region City Deal, with further funding from other sources including the European Regional Development Funding, The Sackler Trust and the Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation.
It is located on the ground level of ICE, which will also include extensive accommodation for research and development and an extension to the University’s Clinical Innovation Zone, providing an entire floor for industry collaboration and partnership. Over a ten year period the development is predicted to create around 400 jobs and £85m for the Scottish economy.
Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak, Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow said: “The new 7 Tesla scanner is very important for the University of Glasgow, the city of Glasgow, Scotland and the UK.
“The scanner is an important ‘first’ for Scotland, which wouldn’t have been possible without £2.3m of European Union funding. The ability to form collaborations across Europe and also bring skilled staff over from the EU to work on such advanced technology, will be a key part of the long-term success of the project.”
Professor Keith Muir, SINAPSE Chair of Clinical Imaging (Stroke and Brain Imaging), who will be leading a clinical research programme using the 7T 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 scanner technology that is currently available.”