NYU researchers tackle the challenge of making MRI machines less expensive

How many scientists does it take to build a working MRI from scratch?

New York University researchers Leeor Alon and Tobias Block wanted to find out. The two hosted 50 researchers in New York City last month, and over the course of four days, managed to build a small, low-field MRI. With a few extra days, Alon and Block successfully used the scanner to image an item inside a mystery box: two water-filled syringes. The overarching message of the gathering: MRIs don’t need to be as expensive as they currently are.

MRI machines, which typically cost between $1 million and $3 million, are frequently the most expensive pieces of equipment in a hospital. They’re large, heavy, and complex, built with three layers of magnets to image and liquid helium to cool the machines down. Engineers need to maintain the machines and doctors need to interpret their scans. Patients in sub-saharan African countries have particularly difficulty accessing MRIs; the continent has the lowest number of MRI scanners per million people at 0.7, followed by Southeast Asia at 1.1.

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