Upgrade for a 7-Tesla MRI System

• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: Funded in 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 576575784

Since 2006 the Erwin L. Hahn Institute for MRI (ELH) has successfully operated a 7-Tesla (7T) whole-body ultrahigh-field (UHF) MRI system for brain and body research. Numerous pioneering methods and hardware components for UHF MRI have been developed and evaluated at the ELH since then. Furthermore, early clinical UHF MRI applications have been introduced and published by the ELH PIs using 7T MRI. The first 7T MRI system at the ELH was intensively used for human imaging research from 2006-2020. In 2020 a new generation 7T MRI system funded by the DFG was installed and has been intensively used by all interdisciplinary ELH PI groups for various projects in brain and body UHF MRI research. The current UHF MRI system features an 8-channel parallel radiofrequency (RF) transmit (pTx) system and a 1/32 Tx/Rx CE-labelled RF head coil for neuroimaging research. A second 8/32 pTx/Rx RF head coil is available for advanced neuroimaging. The current 7T MRI system, furthermore, features a zero-boil-off magnet that has not needed a helium refill since installation. A long-awaited software and hardware upgrade for this UHF MRI system is now available. The upgrade includes new software packages and new reconstruction computers to allow new acquisition techniques and also state-of-the art deep-learning image reconstruction. Furthermore, the existing 8-channel RF pTx system can now be upgraded to 16-channels, a feature that is of highest importance for the RF coil building activities at the ELH and equally important for brain and body MRI research, allowing for increased field-of-view (FOV) coverage and improved RF transmit signal homogenization. Another important feature of the upgrade is increased gradient power. The upgrade provides stronger gradient amplifiers allowing increased gradient performance from currently 80 mT/m/200 T/m/s to 135 mT/m/250 T/m/s without modifying the gradient coil. Stronger gradient amplitude and slew-rate is important for improving the spatial and/or temporal resolution in advanced neuroimaging applications such as layer fMRI of the brain. A final new feature of the upgrade is the possibility to simultaneously perform anatomical imaging with spectroscopy and imaging of other atomic nuclei (X-nuclei), visualizing (dynamic) metabolism of small molecules with these X-nuclei. In view of cost efficiency and sustainability, the upgrade of the 7T MRI system at the ELH does not require significant building or reconstruction work. Numerous running, ongoing, and planned projects and CRCs will benefit from all aspects of the intended MRI system software and hardware upgrade. In conclusion, the intended upgrade and part-renewal of the 7T MRI system at the ELH will leverage the existing MRI system to the current state-of-the art and with the 16-channel pTx system and stronger gradient power will enlarge the research spectrum and improve literally every research project at the ELH while building on a robust and sustainable UHF MRI imaging platform.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Aufrüstung eines 7-Tesla MRT-Systems
• Instrumentation Group: 3231 MR-Tomographie-Systeme
• Applicant Institution: Universität Duisburg-Essen
• Leader: Professor Dr. Harald Quick