Over the past several years, the price and life cycle cost of 1.5T and 3.0T MRI systems have been increasing due to a dramatic increase in helium cost, and there is a critical need to avoid further increases. This is particularly troubling to the medical community and patients alike because the high quality images of a 3.0T MRI greatly improve the diagnosis of cardiac and neurological patients. There is an urgent need for a whole-body MRI that is low-cost, has high resolution and which will facilitate expanding the MRI market to include underserved areas domestically and underdeveloped regions of the world. The development of magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconductors has been fostered by two NIH SBIR Phase 1 &II grants over the last 4 years. With the magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconductor wire successfully developed as described in this proposal, low cost, cryogen-free 1.5T and 3.0T full body MRI system magnets will have an initial price and life cycle cost savings of over several hundred thousand dollars per system, assuming helium prices do not rise, and dramatic more savings if helium increases as predicted. These lower cost liquid cryogen free MRI systems can be sited where replacement helium is scarce while achieving the image quality of 1.5T and 3.0T MRI systems at very much lower cost, and without resorting to the alternative low field permanent magnet MRI systems. This is especially beneficial in countries and rural settings where helium is already over $35/liter and in countries where liquid helium is not available at all. The tasks in this project have the specific aim of doubling the magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconductor current density, which places it beyond the minimum required for a 3.0T MRI system. This will assure that the MRI companies move from development to production of MgB2 based 3.0T MRI systems after the completion of this 3-year NIH grant. This would lower the price/performance ratio of the MgB2 wire to be equal to or less than NbTi superconductor wire presently used in MRI systems. The major MRI magnet manufacturers now have multi-million dollar development programs focused on changing their main solenoid coils from liquid helium bath cooling to dry (cryogen free) conduction cooling using magnesium diboride (MgB2) superconductor, and they are all working with Hyper Tech concurrent with the proposed NIH BRDG-SPAN grant. This proposed project submitted by a small business with concurrent third party funds will meet the BRDG-SPAN objectives, namely, major improvements in superconductor material technology and wire performance to assure the move to commercialization (move from development systems to production systems) by the major MRI companies. There will be a substantial economic stimulus benefit from reduced prices for MRI's systems, and the medical industry will avoid the increases costs predicted for MRI's due to the impending helium shortages. The MRI systems will have reduced manufacturing and operating cost, and the result will be lower health care costs to the public.
The system price and operating cost of 1.5T and 3.0T MRI systems have been escalating dramatically due to the predicted world shortages of helium, and it will get worse over the coming years. Magnesium diboride superconductor wires can enable low cost, liquid cryogen free, high image quality 1.5T and 3.0T systems that can be sited in under-served areas domestically and underdeveloped regions of the world where helium to presently too expensive to justify a MRI. The medical industry can save several hundreds of thousands of dollars over the product life cycle of each MgB2 MRI system resulting in lower costs for high image quality and lower health care costs to the public.
