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Posted 7-19-01
CLEVELAND -- Readers of the latest issue of MR Pulse will learn that Cleveland is on the map as a leader in the field of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology.
Robert Brown, the Institute Professor of Physics at Case Western Reserve University, reports in the newsletter's summer issue that you can change the "R" in MRI from "resonance" to "renaissance", as was evident at a conference that drew more than 230 scientists from 15 countries to CWRU for the Cleveland 2001 International MRI Workshop in February.
Brown believes Cleveland attracted MRI scientists on the field's frontiers because of local industrial leaders such as Hitachi Medical Systems America of Twinsburg, Marconi Medical Systems of Highland Heights and USA Instruments of Aurora.
The medical community uses MRI technology to detect diseases by immersing the patient in a magnetic field. Because the human body is primarily composed of water, the hydrogen atoms inside the body are perfect for sending out signals that respond to the external magnetic field that the atoms feel. The strength of their responses to the magnetic fields creates a picture used as a diagnostic tool.
During the workshop, scientists, technology researchers, and others discussed new developments in making MRI technology faster, quieter, and more comfortable. They also talked about varied applications of the technology.
Chairing the workshop was Hiroyuki Fujita, CWRU adjunct assistant professor and a research and development manager with USA Instruments. Brown, who co-chaired the event, says this year's conference attracted double the participants of past events.
Support for the International Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine meeting came from CWRU, University Hospitals of Cleveland, and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, as well as event sponsors Marconi Medical Systems, USA Instruments, Hitachi Medical Systems America, GE Medical Systems, and Siemens Medical Systems.
Three CWRU deans -- Nathan Berger from the School of Medicine, Sam Savin from the College of Arts and Sciences, and Robert Savinell from the Case School of Engineering -- also lent support to bring the meeting to the city. Interim President James Wagner greeted attendants at the conference.
Brown explains that northeast Ohio has gained recognition for its position as a world leader in bioimaging. USA Instruments is a world leader in MRI coil manufacturing for the imaging machines that produce the pictures of the human body. The company ranks eighth on the Weatherhead School of Management's list of the 100 fastest-growing regional businesses.
During the workshop, William Edelstein from General Electric's Research and Development group recapped the history of the MRI development in his talk, "From 0 to 8 Tesla in Five Minutes."
James Hyde from the Medical College of Wisconsin described MRI's future in the keynote address, "MRI Hardware: A Vision for the Future." Hyde envisioned an array of technology developed for functional neuroimaging that will be adapted for other anatomical uses beside those from the brain.
In a workshop competition, Jacob Willig-Onwuachi, a CWRU doctoral student in physics, won first place for his research poster based on the paper "Birdcage-Like Coils for Perfectly Sinusoidal SMASH Fields" that he authored with fellow graduate student Timothy Eagan.