A leap forward in brain and cancer research will be put in motion today when a 7-tonne, state-of-the-art magnet for a new extremely powerful MRI scanner is delivered to the University of Aberdeen’s Radiology Department.
The new £1.5M magnet - which is heavier than a fully grown African elephant - will be installed by Philips Medical Systems, the international engineering company.
The polo-shaped magnet will be brought into the building adjacent to the Lilian Sutton building through a large hole in the wall, which will be closed after the installation of the magnet.
The magnet is not only the largest but also the most crucial part of the new MRI scanner, which should be operational in September. The new scanner will replace the current dedicated research MRI scanner and enhance the superb imaging facilities already at the University.
A quarter of a century ago the city led the way with MRI when Aberdeen clinicians and scientists were the first in the world to scan a patient's body.
Today Aberdeen remains at the forefront with imaging - it was the first centre in Scotland to have PET imaging which is used for diagnosing cancer patients and for clinical research, and a University scientist has also begun developing an entirely new type of MRI scanner.
Professor Fiona Gilbert, Head of the University's Radiology Department, said today's arrival of the new scanner would allow the Aberdeen MRI group to remain at the cutting edge of research.
"This dedicated high field strength MRI scanner is the best quality machine available for brain and cancer research," she explained. "The new scanner can image patients faster, has more sophisticated techniques, and will produce higher quality pictures.
"It means we can take MR techniques that have been developed for brain imaging and apply them to the body, which is crucial for our cancer imaging work. The brain pictures will also be significantly better."
Professor Tom Redpath, also from the University's Radiology Department, added: "Magnetic resonance is still a rapidly developing area of medical imaging, and we are all excited and looking forward to using this new machine in our research projects in brain imaging and cancer. I am sure that our colleagues in NHS Grampian will also be keen to explore the value of high field MRI for their patients."