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21 September 2004
A new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facility launched on the 21 September at the Wellcome Surgical Institute, University of Glasgow, Garscube Estate, will provide scientists from the Faculties of Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and Biological and Life Sciences with the latest scanning technologies to enhance their research.
With a £2, 265, 700 Research Development Grant from the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) experts in the field of neuroscience have been given the backing to set up the state-of-the-art, non-invasive imaging centre.
The ' Experimental Magnetic Resonance Imaging Facility ', launched by Principal of the University of Glasgow, Sir Muir Russell, also has the remit to serve as a national resource, providing scientists from Universities throughout Scotland access to this exciting new technology.
Professor I Mhairi Macrae, from the Division of Clinical Neuroscience explains:
'The primary use of the facility will be in neuroscience research, studying diseases which affect the brain, such as stroke and multiple sclerosis. However, with the high image resolution and multiplicity of parameters measurable by the system, we can open up the field to many different biological and medical research-based projects. Any organ in the body can be studied non-invasively, and the system can produce images based on 30 or more physico-chemical parameters. These can be used to examine body chemistry, anatomy, tissue morphology, blood flow, metabolism and nerve function. The non-invasive aspect of the imaging also permits serial studies to be performed Recent applications include drug evaluation, transgenic phenotyping and tracking of stem cell transplants'.
The Facility is jointly managed by Professor Macrae and Dr Barrie Condon, a consultant in Clinical Physics, who also manages physics support for clinical MRI Units in South Glasgow. 'Setting up the Facility has been very much a partnership, with the Clinical Physics department providing input at all stages in its development from the initial planning to the final day-to-day running of the scanner' added Professor Macrae.
Experimental MRI, set up by the Faculty of Medicine, is already being used for stroke, MS, cardiovascular and cancer-based research. A number of scientists from the Vet Faculty and a bioengineering group from Strathclyde University also have MRI-based projects underway. However, the dedicated team who run the MRI Facility are keen to maximise the potential of the system still further and apply MRI techniques to new areas of biomedical research.
Researchers interested in finding out more about the Experimental Magnetic Resonance Imaging Facility and its function should contact Professor I Mhairi Macrae directly on or email: m.macrae @clinmed.gla.ac.uk
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