In medicine, MRI scanners with a magnetic field of 1.5 Tesla (T) and 3T are most readily available; however, the cutting-edge 7T scanner is only available in a limited number of locations worldwide. And now, WashU Medicine Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology is one of them.
The Siemens MAGNETOM Terra.X 7T was installed in fall 2024. “The 7T MRI supersedes all existing MRI scanners,” said Joseph E. Ippolito, MD, PhD, associate professor of radiology and director of the Center for Clinical Imaging Research. “It is an extremely powerful system that allows us to image the human body with exquisite, unparalleled detail.”
Initial applications of the scanner will focus on studies of neurological disease diagnosis and patient management. To share knowledge of cutting-edge 7T techniques, MIR and collaborators — including the McDonnell Center for Systems Neuroscience and the Departments of Neurology, Neuroscience, Neurosurgery, Psychological and Brain Sciences, and Psychiatry — jointly hosted an inaugural symposium in April 2025 for neuroimaging researchers eager to use the new technology. Renowned international leaders in ultrahigh-field (UHF) MRI converged to cover a wide range of key advancements, including high-spatial and temporal-resolution fMRI, UHF perfusion and diffusion imaging techniques, optimal infant and nonhuman primate imaging, and proton and multinuclear MR spectroscopy.
The installation of this scanner ushers in a new era of high-field MRI research at WashU Medicine. “The 7T MRI scanner, funded in part by the NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Programs S10 High-End Instrumentation Grant, will support nearly $60 million of research funding in the neurosciences and oncology at WashU Medicine,” said Pamela K. Woodard, MD, the Elizabeth E. Mallinckrodt Professor of Radiology and director of MIR. Hongyu An, PhD, professor of radiology and director of the Biomedical MR Center, is the principal investigator of the S10 grant.
Previously, the nearest 7T scanners were 120 to 190 miles from St. Louis. But now, WashU researchers have access to the scanner’s advanced imaging capabilities, with nearly 30 NIH-funded projects already identified as substantially benefiting. The scanner will be used to study brain health, diagnose cancer and improve patient care.
Published in Focal Spot Fall/Winter 2025 Issue