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Danish National 7T MR Project

As of 2015, the DRCMR operates one of the strongest MR scanners worldwide and the only one of its caliber in Denmark. The purchase of ths state-of-the-art MR system from Phillips Healthcare was made possible by the John and Birthe Meyer Foundation and the Danish Agence for Science, Technology and Innovation.

The field strength of 7 tesla (T) corresponds with roughly 140.000 times the earth magnetic field and is generated by a 44 ton superconducting electromagnet with its inner part cooled 7T log finalby liquid helium to around -270°C/-450 °F/3 K. 

The ultra-high magnetic field strength of 7T enables us to uncover structure, function and chemistry of the body’s interior with unprecedented precision. As such, it gives us a much more detailed insight into human (patho)physiology as compared to clinical MR scanners, which typically range from 1.5 to 4T. Particularly brain research benefits from the ultra-high field strength.

In the scope of the Danish National 7T MR Project, the 7T scanner is available as a research resource to the whole of Denmark. 7T MR scanners are not approved for clinical use, hence the scanner is fully dedicated to research.

 

Current 7T projects include:

  • Brain diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and spectroscopy (DWS) in multiple sclerosis (MS)
  •  Brain proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in schizophrenia
  •  Brain 1H-MRS, structural imaging and cognition across the lifespan
  •  Liver carbon (13C) MRS in diabetes
  •  A particular focus lies on the development of new MR methodologies and hardware.

 

National collaborations involve:

  • Technical University of Denmark
  • University of Copenhagen
  • Copenhagen University Hospitals

 

International collaborations have been established with:

  • Lund University, Sweden
  • Leiden University Medical Center, The Netherlands
  • University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
  • Korea Basic Science Institute, South Korea

 

 

 

 

Selected Publications

Alexander DC, Hubbard PL, Hall MG, Moore EA, Ptito M, Parker GJ, Dyrby TB. Orientationally invariant indices of axon diameter and density from diffusion MRI Neuroimage. 2010, 52:1374-89

Lundell HM, Sønderby CK, Dyrby TB, Diffusion weighted imaging with circularly polarized oscillating gradients, Magn Reson Med., 2015, 73:171-1176

Dyrby TB, Søgaard LV, Hall MG, Ptito M, Alexander DC, Contrast and stability of the axon diameter index from microstructure imaging with diffusion MRI, Magn Reson Med., 2013, 70:711-721

Alderliesten T, De Vis JB, Lemmers PM, van Bel F, Benders MJ, Hendrikse J, Petersen ET. T2-prepared velocity selective labelling: A novel idea for full-brain mapping of oxygen saturation. Neuroimage. 2016,139:65-73

De Vis JB, Zwanenburg JJ, van der Kleij LA, Spijkerman JM, Biessels GJ, Hendrikse J, Petersen Cerebrospinal fluid volumetric MRI mapping as a simple measurement for evaluating brain atrophy. ET.Eur Radiol. 2016, 26:1254-62,

Coordinator

Henrik Lundell

Coordinator