ASG Superconductors (ASG) and Siemens Healthineers have signed a partnership to develop ultrahigh-field (UHF) MR systems, and the first order of business is creating a 10.5-Tesla system of "unprecedented dependability" to be installed at a university in China.

The magnet will be built and tested at ASG's facility in Italy. Upon its arrival in China, Siemens will be responsible for the integration and installation of the system.

"In the past, customers looking for a system above 7T had to order the magnet and the electrical integration separately" says Arthur Kaindl, head of Magnetic Resonance at Siemens Healthineers. "With the new partnership, we are happy to offer these UHF systems on a turnkey basis for the first time. This will lead to a tremendous improvement in project execution for our customers and take a decisive step towards pushing the limits of MR imaging beyond 7T."
A Siemens 10.5 Tesla MR at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Magnetic Resonance Research performed the first-ever full scan of the human body with a magnet of that strength in 2018. That project was funded in part by an $8 million grant from the NIH toward acquisition of the 110-ton magnet and construction of the space for the system.

With the new partnership, Siemens and ASG hope they can reduce the complexity of realizing an MR project beyond 7T, helping customers take a step toward extremely high field imaging and the groundbreaking brain research it may enable.

"Superconducting technologies and magnet systems of very high performances are increasingly finding application in medical diagnostics and therapies," said Sergio Frattini, CEO of ASG Superconductors. "Capitalizing on skills and experiences derived from research and industrial collaborations, ASG is constantly improving its superconducting competences and is able to design a complete range of magnets for medical diagnostics with magnetic field strengths ranging from fractions of one Tesla up to UHF."

MRI Homepage