Terra.X 7T MRI Scanner: A New Chapter of Advanced Imaging at MIR

Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) at WashU Medicine is now home to the Siemens MAGNETOM Terra.X 7T, a cutting-edge magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner capable of research and clinical operations available in only a few locations in the country. It is the first FDA-cleared Siemens factory installation of this MRI system worldwide.

A standout feature of the 7T is its greater signal and ability to see more detail than the average scanner. Conventional MRI scanners have a magnetic strength of 1 Tesla. With a magnetic strength of 7 Tesla, the scanner can capture details that traditional MRIs can’t reveal.

“The 7T MRI supersedes all existing MRI scanners,” says Joseph E. Ippolito, MD, PhD, an associate professor of radiology at MIR 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 be dedicated to studies of neurological disease diagnoses and management. Eventually, it will be used to see throughout the human body to diagnose cancer and follow response-to-treatment journeys.

“The 7T MRI scanner, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (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,” says MIR Director Pamela K. Woodard, MD.

Hongyu An, PhD, professor of radiology and director of the Biomedical MR Center, is the principal investigator of the grant.