Bulk HighTemperature Superconducting Magnet Pole for new generation Magnetic Resonance Scanners

人们一致认为，磁共振(MR)扫描仪技术是早期发现许多疾病和障碍的首选工具。然而，今天的传统磁共振扫描仪昂贵、笨重、体积大，而且很难定位。因此，目前，磁共振扫描仪通常与大医院联系在一起，这限制了患者使用这项重要技术。这个试点项目将提供一个创新的关键子系统，它可以设计和建造成本更低、更小、更轻的磁共振扫描仪，但仍然能够在更高的磁场下运行并产生高分辨率的诊断质量图像。这可能意味着磁共振扫描仪可以安装在全科医生诊所和其他小型临床环境中，供当地社区更广泛地使用，从而消除患者前往大城市大型医院的需要。由于人们目前对痴呆症(用于许多类型的神经退行性疾病的统称)，尤其是阿尔茨海默氏症还没有很好的理解，人们一致认为，这项研究应该集中在发现非常早期的退行性疾病迹象上。据信，导致痴呆症的脑细胞死亡可能在记忆问题变得明显之前几十年就开始了。到那个阶段，大脑核心记忆中心的五分之一可能已经死亡。因此，可以很容易地提出一个论点，即从相对年轻的时候开始，使用磁共振成像(MRI)作为主要的筛查方式，为痴呆症引入一项“本地的全科医生筛查计划”。这一试点项目可能有助于实现这一重要目标。

There is consensus that magnetic resonance (MR) scanner technologies are the tool of choice when it comes to early detection of many diseases and disorders. However, today's conventional MR scanners are costly, heavy, large and also they can be difficult to site. Hence, currently, MR scanners are most often associated with big hospitals, which limit patient access to this important technology. This Pilot Project will deliver an innovative, key subsystem which could enable the design and construction of less costly, smaller, lighter MR scanners, yet, still capable of operating at higher magnetic fields and producing high resolution diagnostic quality images. This could mean that the MR scanners could be sited in GP practices and other small clinical settings for wider access by local communities obviating the need for the patients to travel to large hospitals in big cities. Since 'dementia' (an umbrella term used for many types of neurodegenerative diseases) and particularly Alzheimer's is currently not well understood, there is consensus that the research should concentrate on detecting very early signs of degeneration. It is believed that brain cell death leading to dementia may start decades earlier before memory problems become noticeable. By that stage, a fifth of the core memory centres of the brain might have already be dead. Hence, an argument could easily be made for the introduction of a 'local, GP screening programme' for dementia starting at a relatively young age using MR imaging (MRI) as a primary screening modality. Potentially, this pilot project could help to the realisation of that important goal.