VISTA++
Dutch High Field Imaging Hub/Virtual Institute for Seven Tesla Applications ++
The Dutch High Field Imaging Hub is a multi-sited, single modality Node, offering high field MRI infrastructure for human imaging. It is internationally leading in precision MRI focusing on medical and neuroscience using advanced MRI methodologies. The five imaging centers are equipped with ultra-high Field MR instruments that can be used to obtain ultra-high resolution images of the brain, spine, breast, heart, abdomen and extremities, and benefit from increased signal to noise and new contrast associated with higher magnetic field strengths. They collaborate closely by exchanging expertise including imaging protocols, data processing and hardware technology.
Infrastructure and User Services
At ultra-high field (UHF) of ≥7T, MRI allows much higher detail, i.e. opening a mesoscopic view on the brain and other tissues of the human body, giving denser information content than clinical field strengths, not only from anatomical but also from functional, metabolic, and connectivity perspectives. It also allows for the detailed characterization of physiological and molecular processes inaccessible by other modalities. The collaboration of all Dutch 7 Tesla MRI sites provides access to these facilities for the complete Dutch research community. Philips 7 Tesla MRI scanners are operational in Leiden (LUMC), Amsterdam (Spinoza Center), and Utrecht (UMC Utrecht). Siemens 7 Tesla scanners are accessible in Essen (access via Donders Center in Nijmegen) and Maastricht (Scannexus), At all fives sites the necessary pulse sequence development and hardware skills are present to support use of the facilities by external parties, whereas close collaboration between the sites ensure efficient knowledge exchange. Moreover, support in post-processing is offered within our consortium.
Examples/description of the type of research
The five imaging centers are equipped with ultra-high Field MR instruments that can be used to obtain ultra-high resolution images of the brain, spine, breast, heart, abdomen and extremities. An example key application for which 7 Tesla MRI is very well suited involves neurosciences. High spatial resolution functional MRI allows zooming into the functional organisation of gray matter layers and small cerebral nuclei. In neuroscience, 7 Tesla MRI allows moving to mesoscopic functional imaging, and thereby the interrogation of cerebral organisations at much higher scales compared to clinical field-strength MRI. Also for new applications, such as human brain clearance imaging (also known under the name ‘glymphatics’), the high SNR, high spatial resolution characteristics of 7 Tesla MRI provides excellent opportunities.
Furthermore, ultra-high field MRI offers excellent opportunities for multi-nuclear imaging, i.e. the imaging of other nuclei than proton. Nuclei like fluorine and phosphorus offer great promise for cancer imaging and treatment monitoring. Also for musculo-skeletal MRI 7 Tesla MRI provides significant improvements over clinical field strength MRI both for proton as well as for sodium experiments.
In summary, 7 Tesla MRI improves imaging studies for many different topics, whereas it continues to provide the principal advantage of MRI: its non-invasive and safe nature.
How to access the infrastructure?
Access to the infrastructure is supported via quick interviews to assess the needs of an external partner, resulting in a referral to one of our sites. Subsequently, a more detailed assessment is performed to estimate the amount of support necessary to perform the study. Based on this assessment as well as the combined scientific interest a quotation will be provided.