The IRM Ultra Low Field 64mT

Health challenges and technological innovation: mobile MRI takes place in Toulouse.

The Toulouse Neuro Imaging Center (U1214, ToNIC Inserm/Université Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier) research laboratory has recently acquired a mobile ultra-low field (64 mT) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. Housed on the unit’s MRI platform, this new device is the first of its kind in France, offering a highly innovative imaging solution.

Thanks to its mobility and ultra-low-field operation, the Hyperfine Swoop™ mobile MRI system enables real-time anatomical neuroimaging at the patient’s bedside.

As part of the ANR CUBE project, conducted in collaboration with Inserm, Toulouse University Hospital, CNES, THALES, IRIT, and ANITI, and coordinated by Stein Silva, professor of intensive care medicine and researcher at the ToNIC laboratory, this system will be deployed in several phases.

Initially, methodological validation and improvement work will be carried out based on concurrent acquisitions of brain images by standard (3T) and ultra-low-field MRI. Subsequently, an innovative set of artificial intelligence-based methods aimed at improving spatial resolution will be explored. Finally, a study specifically focused on assessing the impact of cardiac arrest on the brains of comatose patients will be conducted.