Development of a Novel Head Coil for Clinical Neuroimaging in 7 Tesla MRI Scanners

**Magnetic resonance imaging** (**MRI**) is a powerful tool for diagnosing medical conditions that affect the brain. Standard MRI scanners in current use have a magnetic-field strength of 1.5 tesla (1.5T) or 3 tesla (3T). Recent advances have led to scanners with a magnetic-field strength of 7 tesla (7T), which provide images with an increased level of detail. These systems now have approval for medical use in Europe and the USA. This project concerns the commercial development of new technology that will enhance the performance of these new 7T scanners.

Neurological conditions, including brain tumours, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone and vascular disease will significantly benefit from the introduction of 7T MRI. This promises to improve diagnosis and help clinicians to deliver more targeted, personalised and effective treatments. Despite this potential, the introduction of 7T MRI into clinical use has been impeded by the difficulty to acquire uniform images of a large area of anatomy, such as the whole brain. This is a fundamental limitation caused by the shorter radiofrequency wavelength at 7T. Parallel transmit (pTx) technology provides the means to overcome this problem and produce uniform images.

The project is based on an existing research project at the University of Glasgow, which has resulted in the development of a prototype of a novel head coil for MRI of the brain at 7T. The new coil incorporates pTx technology, which improves image uniformity and offers better visualisation of brain regions that are important in the management of epilepsy, MS and vascular disease. Furthermore, an open-face design improves patient comfort and minimises claustrophobia. The compact design is operator friendly and saves space on the patient table.

Modern 7T MRI scanners operate in two modes: a technologically advanced pTx mode, and a conventional single-transmit (sTx) mode. The new coil is designed to be used in both modes, whereas separate coils are currently required. This dual-mode feature prevents the need for two coils, which is a considerable cost saving to the consumer and is time-efficient.

Our goal is to translate the prototype head coil into a medical device suitable for clinical diagnostic use. The first stage in this process is to develop the new head coil through ISO 13485 quality management systems and achieve corresponding certification. This project will demonstrate performance and safety of the device using computer modelling, phantom studies and healthy volunteer imaging to prepare for subsequent evaluation in a clinical setting.