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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/S80172/01
Title: High resolution, small field view of SQUID-MRI at low magnetic field strengths
Principal Investigator: Seton, Dr H
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Dr J Hutchison
Project Partners:
Department: Biomedical Physics and Bioengineering
Organisation: University of Aberdeen
Scheme: First Grant Scheme Pre-FEC
Starts: 01 November 2004 Ends: 28 February 2007 Value (£): 125,230
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Magnetism/Magnetic Phenomena Med.Instrument.Device& Equip.
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Healthcare
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
The new bench-top magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system will be developed for scanning small samples and body parts. This will be capable of forming images in 5-15 minutes with a resolution of approximately 100 microns from a 5 mm-thick slice over a 25 mm x 25 mm field of view. Signals will be detected using a very low-noise, superconducting receiver coil, cooled with liquid helium in a modified cryostat. The nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signals induced in this coil will be amplified using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID). The main magnetic field, of approximately 0.02 T, will be generated by a permanent magnet, comprising steel pole faces and blocks of rare-earth magnetic material. The field uniformity and stability will be measured initially using a gauss-meter and then from NMR measurements. If necessary, temperature control will be used to reduce thermally-induced field drift. Images will be formed by adding pulsed gradient fields to the main magnetic field. These will be generated using a set of three orthogonal gradient coils, designed and constructed following established principles. The system will be interfaced to a desktop PC, using code written in the C/C++ programming language. Performance will be assessed by imaging human fingers, and food and plant samples.
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Organisation Website: http://www.abdn.ac.uk