7 Tesla Brings Research Possibilities to the University of Pennsylvania

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine are excited to be one of the few radiology departments the U.S. that will be receiving an ultra high-field 7 Tesla MRI system. Seven Tesla MRI is not cleared by the FDA for clinical use, but it can be a valuable tool for research, according to Ravinder Reddy, Ph.D., professor of radiology and science director or the Metabolic Magnetic Resonance Research and Computing Center (MMRRCC) at Penn.
"Since the inception of MRI for clinical imaging and research over two decades ago, the magnetic field strength of clinical imagers has increased 20-fold from 0.15 Tesla initially to 3 Tesla currently, with each increase in field strength yielding new diagnostic capabilities,” said Reddy. “Initial results from a few laboratories suggest MRI at even higher fields holds great promise to provide insight into structure, function and physiology in humans not obtainable at lower fields. An ultra high-field magnet will further improve sensitivity, speed, and image resolution."
At Penn the new system will be used primarily by the MMRRCC, the Center for Functional Neuroimaging (CfN), the Center for Molecular Imaging (CEMI) and the Laboratory for Structural NMR Imaging (LSNI).