Arrival of the 9.4T scanner

03th May 2013

Today was an important milestone for Scannexus with the arrival of the 9.4Tesla magnet. This is the highest field strength human MRI system in NL, and one of only 5 of such systems worldwide. In combination with the already operational 3T and 7T systems, this firmly places Maastricht at the forefront of this exciting and fast developing field, with opportunities for fundamental and clinical research.

The 9.4Tesla is a 50 ton magnet, sited in a 600 ton iron room. This system will enable us to image the brain with unprecedented resolution, capable of seeing structures which are not able to be observed with standard MR systems. The next few months will involve a significant amount of effort for installation and testing with the aim of carrying out the first human scan in fall of this year.

Scannexus is a key component of the Brains Unlimited initiative which is funded by Maastricht University, Province of Limburg, the city of Maastricht and the European Union. The MR systems have been produced by Siemens who oversaw the construction of the facility and managed to install the 9.4T in a record time of 4.5 hours from truck to placement.