MR Solutions, of Guildford has won an Innovation Award from the Institute of Physics in recognition of the company’s development of the world’s first commercially available preclinical, helium-free high-field MRI imaging system.

The award was presented by the President of the Institute, Professor Dame Julia Higgins at a formal awards dinner presentation held on 7 November, 2017. 

Dame Julia Higgins said: “This year’s winners serve as tremendous examples of the many different ways in which physics can improve, save or protect lives and how it forms an invaluable part of the UK economy. Your successes have been made possible by investing in physics and in physicists. I would like to offer my warmest congratulations to all of this year’s winners. Companies such as these are the backbone of a high-tech economy and society.”

Dr David Taylor, physicist and CEO of MR Solutions Group Ltd said: “After years of research, recognition by the IOP of the science in developing cryogen-free, superconducting MRI scanners is greatly appreciated.”

MR Solutions has developed a range of preclinical multi-modality MRI scanners which no longer require liquid helium to cool the magnets to minus 269 degrees centigrade to achieve superconductivity. The company’s team of physicists and engineers developed a novel magnet design which only needs a readily available cryocooler unit to achieve the very low temperature required.

This technology has many benefits: it has halved the price, improved the imaging quality, reduced the stray magnetic field from metres to a few centimetres and halved the footprint for the laboratory. Multi-modality imaging technologies such as MRI with PET or SPECT can be incorporated either for simultaneous imaging or sequentially for more accurate comparative results. The scanner can be wheeled in without the need for strengthening the floors or installation of an emergency venting system.

MR Solutions’ success has also been recognised with two Queen’s Awards for Enterprise – for innovation in 2016 and for international trade in 2017. MR Solutions export more than 95% of their range of 3T to 9.4T MRI compact scanners to research laboratories across the world.

MR Solutions has over 30 years’ experience and in excess of 2000 installations world-wide. This includes sales of their MRI spectrometers. Its scanners are renowned for their excellence in terms of superior soft tissue contrast and molecular imaging ability. Their highly trained network of global distributors provides back up and support.

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