Key joint projects are in the areas of early detection for cardiovascular disease, vulnerable plaque imaging, functional neuroimaging, cancer detection and staging and image-guided cancer diagnosis and treatment, including the target of integrated imageguided diagnosis and MRI-guided interventional procedures. The Universities of Dundee and St Andrews founded the Institute for Medical Science and Technology (IMSaT) to support clinical use of the Dundee CRC. IMSaT is adjacent to Ninewells Hospital and the new CRC. Ten thousand square feet of laboratory space is available for a fully equipped workshop incorporating computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD CAM), laser-cutting for manufacturing instruments and implants, a tissue laboratory, an imaging and photonics laboratory and an interventional MRI robotic laboratory adjacent to an interventional operating suite for pre-clinical trials. In addition to the development of devices according to ISO 13485 and good laboratory practices (GLPs), procedure workflow, process analysis, modulation and simulation for optimal systems integration and training courses will support the successful implementation of MRI-guided procedures and resonant implants (for more information, visit www.imsat.co.uk).

Magnetic Resonance Imaging-guided Robotic-assisted Interventions and Surgery
The robotic system INNOMOTION™ has been developed by the author in collaboration with Innomedic GMBH, Herxheim, Germany as the world’s first MRI- and CT-compatible robotic system with the CE mark. Current clinical studies on MRI-guided liver, prostate and bone biopsy and sciatic pain treatment reveal significant improvements using MRI-guided percutaneous interventions. INNOMOTION will be further developed at IMSaT for use in 1.5- and 3-Tesla MRI, with a specific focus on interventional oncology, neuro-interventional procedures and MRI-guided minimally invasive surgery.¹ MRI-guided breast biopsy, tumour ablation, abscess drainage and heart valve implantation are further projects.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging-compatible Vascular Implants and Magnetic Resonance-guided Vascular Interventions
Vascular implants such as stents, vena cava filters (VCFs), cardioseptal occluders or prosthetic heart valves require post-interventional follow-up diagnostics, which are usually made using X-ray-based angiography or CT. MRI, with its superior soft-tissue contrast, arbitrary slice orientation and flow visualisation without the burden of ionising radiation and ionised contrast agents, would be the preferred imaging technique; however, most conventional vascular implants made of metal create significant image artifacts and shield the lumen due to the material itself, and also due to radiofrequency (RF) interference.² Artifact-free visualisation of vascular implants is one of the conditions for a safe and reliable examination using MRI and MR-guided interventional techniques. Current research is looking to use this in order to improve stents, VCFs, prosthetic heart valves and other vascular implants through the integration of resonant circuits (Biophan Europe GmbH, Germany).

Magnetic Resonance Imaging – Background
In MRI, the object to be imaged is placed in a powerful uniform magnetic field. The rotations of the atomic nuclei (essentially, the hydrogen protons) within the tissue align along the main magnetic field (B0). The signal of these rotations is used for the imaging of this object. Two different imaging acquisition sequences are used in MRI: spin-echo (SE) and gradient-echo (GE).