Georgia State University is matching $600,000 in funding from the National Institutes of Health to bring a top-of-the-line MRI machine to its institution.
That Atlanta-based university’s 7 Tesla machine emits a much stronger magnetic field compared to its 3T peer, enabling higher resolution of microscopic diseases.
More than 25 researchers across seven departments, centers, and institutes will have access to the new Bruker BioSpec 70/20 USR scanner. It’s all part of an imaging innovation hub designed to unite digital imaging research across the college, including nanoparticle imaging, remote sensing for biophysics and space sciences, digital pathology, brain imaging using MRI, and other tools.
“This is high-impact stuff,” Jenny Yang, professor of chemistry and principal investigator on the grant, said in a university news announcement. “Not only will this technology provide better research results, it also brings us to the forefront of industry and educational leadership.”
Only a handful of institutions in the Southeast have access to a 7T machine, the announcement noted. And now faculty working in neuroscience, cardiovascular and translational imaging, biomedical, cancer, and drug discovery will as well.
“The goal is to expand accessibility and pool expertise to develop probes, contrast agents and drug candidates to new, clinical applications,” said Yang, who is also associate director of the Center for Diagnostics and Therapeutics at Georgia State. “With the increased capabilities of the new 7T scanner, novel agents developed at Georgia State can be immediately tested in animal models here and then moved more quickly into clinical trials.”
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.