W. M. Keck Foundation High-Field Laboratory

W. M. Keck Foundation High-Field MRI Laboratory

The W. M. Keck Foundation High-Field MRI Laboratory, within the Advanced Imaging Research Center (AIRC) in the OHSU Biomedical Research Building, houses both of OHSU's 7T and 12T MRI systems. The new laboratory is located two levels below ground, with a foundation that was poured directly on the Marquam Hill bedrock underlying the building. The high-field magnetic resonance imaging systems employ a technique developed to create high-resolution 3-D pictures of any location in the body. Magnetic field strengths are measured in Teslas – one Tesla represents a strength approximately 10,000 times that of the Earth's magnetic field.

12T
12T, May 2006, on site (BRB) construction phase

The 12T instrument at OHSU is only the second in the world to have a magnet bore diameter as large as 31 cm – the other is housed at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. The 12T has a magnetic field 120,000 times stronger than that of the Earth.

The magnet was brought to the AIRC on April 22, 2006, with generous support from a $1.75 million grant provided by the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Charles Springer, Jr., Ph.D., says, “The 12T system will provide some of the clearest, and likely some of the most useful, images in the history of MRI science.” With a greater field strength than that of the 7T magnet, the 12T weighs less (only 12 tons or 24,000 pounds) and is smaller. It is designed for human health studies in animals.

April 24, 2006 news release announcing the arrival of the 12T at OHSU.
OHSU Receives State-of-the-Art MRI Systems

In late January 2006, OHSU became the recipient of a 7T magnet, large enough for human subjects and weighing 30 tons (approximately 60,000 pounds). The extreme size and weight of this piece of equipment, paired with its fragility, resulted in a precise initial positioning that lasted three days. The 7T and 12T MRI magnets came to the United States from the United Kingdom plant where they were constructed. After the ship carrying the 7T magnet arrived in Long Beach, California, in early January, the magnet was transported by truck to Portland. There are only a handful of 7T MRI systems for human subjects in the world at this time, with six currently operating in the United States. Only three other U.S. institutions house human-capable MRI instruments featuring magnets with fields greater than 7T.

Examples of the research made possible by the W. M. Keck Foundation High-Field MRI Laboratory include using the MRI systems to assist in a greater understanding of the development of brain tumors, substance and alcohol abuse, and neurological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and stroke. The AIRC’s lead scientists are developing new methods for obtaining and interpreting MRI data that will provide clearer diagnoses of many cancers, including those of the breast and prostate. Planned future studies using the new high-field 7T and 12T magnets will allow scientists to map sections of the brain with increased resolution. Other research projects are geared toward improving quantitative measurements of the permeability of the blood-brain-barrier, a natural protective feature that prevents blood toxins from entering the brain.

The grant in support of the AIRC is the first from the W. M. Keck Foundation received by OHSU. Awards from the W. M. Keck Foundation represent the gold standard for private competitive grants in the fields of health, engineering, and human sciences. The W. M. Keck Foundation, one of the nation’s preeminent grant making organizations, was created in 1954 by William Myron Keck, founder of the Superior Oil Company. Mr. Keck envisioned a philanthropic institution that would provide far-reaching benefits for humanity. By taking a bold, creative approach to grantmaking, he created a legacy that the Foundation proudly upholds today. Each of the Foundation’s five grant programs invests in people and programs that are making a difference in the quality of life, now and for the future.