Diagnosis without boundaries

MRI scanners have revolutionized the diagnosis of many diseases. Michael Uder, Director of the Institute of Radiology at Uniklinikum Erlangen would like to be able to use the technology in places it is currently not possible, for example in developing countries. In 2023, he was awarded the German Future Prize for his work.

Professor Uder, in conjunction with Siemens Healthineers, you have developed a new MRI scanner. What is the reason behind this new development?

The scanners that are currently available can only really be used in developed countries, and have very high requirements in terms of the buildings and infrastructure required to operate them. We wanted to build a scanner than can be used all over the world.

MRI images become clearer and more detailed the stronger the magnetic field is that is generated. Currently, scanners achieve up to seven tesla, your scanner achieves only 0.55 tesla. Isn’t that much too low to produce good images?

It was clear to us that 0.5 tesla is not enough for every case. But we wanted to cover at least 80 to 90 percent of the scans required, so the “bread and butter” diagnoses. We achieved this with a wide range of innovations, including the use of AI. We trained machine learning algorithms with thousands of images and thus trained them to significantly improve the image quality.

One advantage your scanner provides is that it requires very small quantities of helium – only 0.7 liters instead of around 1000 liters.

This is a crucial point. The magnets in MRI scanners must be cooled in order for them to operate. This task is carried out by liquid helium as it is extremely cold. Electricity is required to cool the helium to these low temperatures. In the event of a power failure, the helium evaporates after a short time. It expands extremely and normally has to be released into the atmosphere so that the scanner is not damaged. The manufacturer then sends a truck filled with liquid helium and refills the scanner at a cost of around 50,000 euros. This simply does not work in several places around the world. Just 0.7 liters of liquid helium takes up so little space in its gaseous form that it can still be stored in the MRI scanner. The scanner can liquefy the gas once power is restored and it is ready to use again.

It took ten years to develop your scanner. Did you experience any setbacks during this time?

Quite a few. But all the hard work has been worth it, especially due to the fact that conventional MRI scanners can also benefit from these innovations. We recently put a 1.5 tesla scanner into operation that also only requires 0.7 liters of helium. And the AI software has now also been installed on our other MRI scanners.

Are you going to continue to develop the scanner?

We’re already doing it. The scanner’s successor should enable surgery to be carried out while patients are being scanned. This has not been previously possible due to the strong magnetic fields and the narrow dimensions of the tube. This technology opens up completely new applications for MRI.

Prof. Dr. Michael Uder studied Medicine at Universität des Saarlandes, Homburg. The radiologist completed his Habilitation in 2002, focusing on the side effects of radiographic contrast agents on the kidneys. From 2003 to 2009, Uder was Professor of Radiology at the Institute of Radiology at Uniklinikum Erlangen, and has been the director of the Institute since 2009. His research focuses on diagnostics of the urogenital system, side effects of contrast agents and the reduction of radiation doses.

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Author: Frank Luerweg

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