NZ first in Australasia to have World’s most advanced MRI

New Zealand the first in Australasia to have the World’s most advanced MRI scanner

Auckland is now home to the world’s most advanced MRI scanner, the 3T Skyra, thanks to the relationship between The University of Auckland and manufacturer Siemens.

This is the first 3T Skyra to be marketed as a premium research machine anywhere in the world, and it will be used at the University’s Centre for Advanced MRI (CAMRI) as a diagnostic tool for cardiac patients and for global collaborative research work.

“What makes the 3T Skyra special is that it doubles the magnetic field, and its 200 different aerials give us greatly improved ‘ears’ to listen for signals, which in turn delivers improved picture quality,” says CAMRI director Associate Professor Brett Cowan.

CAMRI is now the single most important site for Siemens internationally for the research development of cardiovascular MRI, and Siemens is the world’s biggest manufacturer of these devices.

In the last five years, anyone with a significant heart defect requiring surgery, including babies and children would almost certainly have been scanned at CAMRI, but the Centre’s major focus is on research.

“We research for New Zealanders, we do it for the University and we do it for the New Zealand economy,” says Dr Cowan.

“We develop new software to make better images and to find new ways of analysing them. That technology has been distributed across the world and is routinely used at prestigious sites such as UCLA, the National Institutes of Health and Johns Hopkins in the United States. This work directly benefits sick patients across the globe, but most importantly it benefits New Zealand patients with heart disease first.”

Dr Cowan calls MRI an enabling technology when it comes to research.

“Our business is to look inside things without touching them whether it’s a mummified moa from Te Papa or the ripening of fruit for food science. CAMRI also enables The University of Auckland attract and retain world-class staff and students whose research continues to push the frontiers of knowledge.”

Through Auckland UniServices Limited, the University’s commercialisation company, CAMRI is part of the biotech sector and knowledge economy.

“What the University and UniServices envisioned six years ago with the setup of the Centre has directly benefited the health of New Zealanders through our clinical work, the reputation of the University and the knowledge-based export sector of New Zealand through our research work. The new scanner will enable us to continue expanding that work,” says Dr Cowan.

ENDS

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