Adelaide is to get the most powerful MRI ever built

New technology that breaks physics barriers is coming to Adelaide in a groundbreaking MRI more than twice as powerful as existing clinical MRI scanners.

Adelaide will get the world’s most powerful MRI capable of peering deep inside the body with astonishing clarity to turbocharge diagnosis and research of diseases using artificial intelligence reconstruction of images dubbed “Deep Resolve.”

The technology was unveiled in the United States last November and overcomes key physics barriers making it more than twice as powerful as any existing MRI.

This will allow it to probe conditions from cancers to neurological disorders “enabling the visualisation of underlying structures that were previously unseeable,” its developer Siemens Healthineers says.

The MAGNETOM Cima. X scanner will be housed at the Clinical Research Imaging Centre, a partnership between Jones Radiology and the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).

This partnership has just installed Australia’s first NAEOTOM Alpha – the world’s most advanced photon counting computed tomography (CT) scanner.

The two scanners are a $9.8m collaboration between Siemens Healthineers, Jones Radiology and SAHMRI, with a $1m investment from the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.

South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute to get the world’s most powerful MRI scanner. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dean Martin

Steve Wesselingh, executive director of SAHMRI. Picture: Ben Clark

Dr Andrew Dwyer, a partner radiologist with Jones Radiology and the head of imaging at SAHMRI, said the scanner would allow deeper insights into the human body.

“Apart from its clinical applications, in the research space this machine provides the capability to push research and ultimately diagnosis into new territory that was limited previously by key physics barriers inherent in previous generation MRIs,” he said.

SAHMRI to get new MRI - brain image. Picture: supplied

Siemens Healthineers managing director Michael Shaw said the technology would “leverage game-changing deep learning image reconstruction technology called Deep Resolve.”

“Deep Resolve offers incredibly signal-rich super resolution images in much faster scan times than conventional scanners can,” he said.

Jones Radiology chief executive Prof Susan O’Neill, believes the MRI promises “unlimited research opportunities” while having immediate impact on patients’ lives.

Innovation Minister Susan Close noted the world-first equipment will give clinicians the tools to diagnose with more confidence and insight.

“As well as the obvious clinical benefits, this new MRI will see SAHMRI continue to lead the nation in innovative medical research by opening up countless opportunities for researchers and clinicians here in South Australia,” she said.

SAHMRI executive director Professor Steve Wesselingh said SAHMRI’s mission is improving health and health care for all.

“SAHMRI is a major driver of innovation in this state and is a key player in the biomed sector delivering broad benefits economically as well as in healthcare,” he said.

The scanner is expected to be installed around the middle of the year.