Pictures of the Future      Fall 2008

Magnetic Mission

Together with researchers from the Helmholtz Association, Siemens is working on magnetic resonance imaging techniques for the early diagnosis and treatment of cancer, cardiovascular problems and neurological disorders.

People are living longer and longer—a welcome development. But as the average life span increases, so too does the number of dementia patients. It is therefore all the more important to advance our understanding of the brain in both its normal and pathological states. One of the top sites for such studies is the Jülich Research Center in Germany, where scientists are engaged in investigations of the brain. Jülich is one of four research centers of the Helmholtz Association with which Siemens works in the healthcare sector.

In the future, researchers at Jülich will be able to penetrate even deeper into the secrets of the brain—thanks to state-of-the-art imaging from Siemens. Beginning in the fall of 2008, a "microscope" like no other in the world will allow detailed views inside the human head. The device combines an extraordinarily powerful 9.4 T magnetic-resonance imaging (MRI) machine with a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. "With our new machine, we will be able to pinpoint pathological tissue and structural changes in the brain to within 50 µm. Functional analyses will also be possible," says Professor N. Jon Shah, director at the Institute for Neurosciences and Biophysics at Jülich and leader of the Brain Imaging Physics group.

The two constituent systems of this unique, large-scale machine have different advantages. With the extremely strong magnetic field of the MRI scanner, the resolution of the images is increased by a factor of 2.5 relative to a model with 1.5 T (see Pictures of the Future, Fall 2005, Collaboration in Mind and MR Imaging). The PET scanner, on the other hand, can make brain activities and metabolic processes visible, which allows inferences to be made about the receptor density of the nerve cells and tumor tissue. "Better insight into pathological changes in the brain could help delay the progress of diseases like Alzheimer’s by years through early administration of medications, for example," says Shah. By the end of 2008, the system will provide the first test images. The first patient will be scanned in early 2009. Siemens hopes to derive considerable benefit from the partnership as well. "The project will help clarify whether there are new applications for MRI scanners and the combination of MRI and PET—such as in research on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and in oncology," says Dr. Robert Krieg, who is responsible for business development of MRI technology at Siemens Healthcare.

Powerful Tool Aids Cancer Research. Like the Jülich Research Center, the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg belongs to the Helmholtz Association. As part of a strategic alliance between the DKFZ and Siemens, a prototype 7T MRI machine was built—the most powerful machine ever used in cancer research. Among the objectives of the research is to identify tumors earlier and achieve better control of the treatment process. In the examination of tumors, DKFZ researchers want to determine not only their shape and size—morphology, in other words—but also information about their micro-environments. How well is a tumor supplied with blood vessels? How can it best be treated using radiotherapy? What clues do spectroscopic analyses give us regarding its metabolism? "With conventional equipment, resolution is usually two to three millimeters for morphological studies," says Professor Wolfhard Semmler from the Medical Physics department in Radiology at DKFZ. "The new 7T MRI machine will probably deliver a resolution of less than 1 mm." This higher resolution will not only make the search for metastases easier, but will also allow physicians to determine a tumor’s level of malignancy with greater precision—based on information regarding its vascular tree, for instance.

The first test subject will be examined by the end of the year. "We want to see how 7T MRI can be used in the diagnosis of tumor conditions," says Franz Schmitt, head of Ultra-High-Field Imaging and Collaboration Management at Siemens Healthcare. "Our partnership with DKFZ should help to indicate the applications in which higher field strength has advantages." In addition, Siemens hopes to obtain insights into sequences and protocols for hospital practice, such as information about which measurement parameters are optimal for diagnostics. "At the moment, the 7-tesla MRI prototype is still a purely scientific instrument. However, through the partnership, we intend to turn it into a product in a few years," says Schmitt.

Metabolic Problems. Ground is also being broken by scientists at the Max Delbrück Center (MDC) for Molecular Medicine in Berlin-Buch, Germany. In September 2008, Siemens supplied the center for experimental and clinical research with a 7T MRI machine intended primarily for research into cardiovascular illnesses, the first use of such a machine for this purpose anywhere. MDC scientists want to obtain new insights into heart attacks and strokes. To this end, small animals are being examined in a special 9.4T MRI machine. The researchers change their genome and then use MR spectroscopy to determine the effects of this change on the animals’ metabolism. From these insights, they hope to better understand the genetic causes of metabolic problems in humans. The 7T MRI machine is expected to be operational by early 2009.

Another research partnership, this one between Siemens and the Association for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, has resulted in establishment of the Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT). At the HIT, cancer patients will be bombarded with atomic nuclei—heavy ions—from a particle accelerator (see Pictures of the Future, Spring 2004, Particle Therapy and Fall 2007, Facility Simulation). Such beams release their energy in a narrowly defined region of the body, allowing precision treatment of conditions such as spinal column tumors. The HIT will likely be used for radiotherapy for the first time in the fall of 2008; full-capacity operation is scheduled for the second half of 2009.                                                                                                                  Christian Buck