Country for PR: United Kingdom
Contributor: PR Newswire Europe
Thursday, November 17 2022 - 19:25
AsiaNet
In operation the most innovative 11.74T MRI Core Magnet to be used on humans
GENOA, Italy, Nov. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

The world's first simultaneous multi-channel/multi-nuclear 11.74T MRI system is 
currently under development at Gachon University Gil Medical Center (GUGMC).

In the first Half of 2022 GUGMC successfully completed the Site Acceptance Test 
of the Magnet, which is a core part of the brain-specific ultra-precision 
11.74T MRI that is being jointly developed with ASG Superconductors (ASG) in 
Italy. GUGMC invited technical managers of ASG and experts from Korea for 
performance evaluation of the 11.74T MRI Magnet. Now one of the most 
sophisticated magnets in the world is "in operation" and fully serviced by ASG 
technicians onsite. At the same time the evaluation committee confirmed that 
the magnetic field reached the target field density while maintaining stability 
and uniformity.

The Site Acceptance Test evaluated three main criteria: 1) the internal 
temperature of the 11.74T MRI magnet (< 2.2K (Kelvin)), 2) the intensity of the 
magnetic field (11.74T at 2.2K) 3) the uniformity of the magnetic field. The 
test satisfied these three criteria allowing the project to proceed to the next 
step. The researchers at GUGMC are aiming to operate the world's first 
simultaneous multi-channel/multi-nuclear 11.74T MRI system before the end of 
this year combining the 11.74T magnet with gradient magnetic coils, RF coil s , 
electronic equipment, power supplies, etc.

Brain images acquired with the 11.74T MRI are expected to be almost 10 times 
more detailed than those obtained from a standard 1.5T MRI, providing 
researchers with ultra-high-resolution images of the brain structures for the 
early diagnosis and treatment of neuro-degenerative brain diseases such as 
Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and stroke, etc.

Professor Woo-Kyung KIM, President of Gachon University Gil Medical Center 
(President of the Neuroscience Research Institute) said, "The ultra-high 
resolution brain images obtained from the 11.74T MRI system are expected to 
provide significant clues for the early diagnosis and treatment of 
neuro-degenerative brain diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's and 
stroke, etc. This 11.74T project (Principal Investigator: Prof. Jun-Young 
CHUNG) is supported by a grant of the Korea Health Technology R&D Project 
through the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI), funded by the 
Ministry for Health and Welfare, Korea."

Stefano Pittaluga Sales Manager UHF and MRI of ASG Superconductors said, "This 
is another important milestone for our superconducting technology track record 
in a very challenging and exclusive sector like Ultra High Field MRI magnets 
development. Furthermore, we're very proud to collaborate with such a 
prestigious institute as GUGMC and we're confident that in the coming years 
relevant improvements in healthcare will be achieved thanks to this very 
sophisticated MRI technology system magnet based on our cutting edge 11.74T 
magnet and GUGMC's scientific work"

www.gilhospital.com
www.asgsuperconductors.com

Video - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1948962/ASG_Gachon_video.mp4
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1948955/ASG_Gachon.jpg
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1948999/ASG_Gachon_1.jpg
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1949000/ASG_Logo.jpg

SOURCE: ASG Superconductors 
Translations

Japanese