GE Healthcare and Tesla Engineering to create MRI systems for research

GE Healthcare and Tesla Engineering have announced a collaboration to produce 7.0 tesla human whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners.

These high-end MR systems will build upon GE Healthcare's existing expertise in this field and will be used in scientific and medical research, primarily for morphological and functional imaging of the brain.

It is hoped that these devices will pave the way for earlier disease detection, more accurate diagnosis and increased effectiveness of investigational therapies for a wide variety of disorders and diseases.

Tesla Engineering is currently building a new factory in Storrington to manufacture the necessary magnets, recruiting several key engineering and management staff with extensive experience in this field. The first unit is scheduled to ship in late 2015.

Richard Hausmann, president and chief executive officer of GE Healthcare's MR division, said: "This agreement will enable GE to deepen and broaden our collaborations with leading MRI academics and visionaries, sharing our collective expertise and missions in technology, science and medicine."

This week, the firm also announced a strategic joint marketing agreement with CorTechs Labs for its leading MRI post-processing application, NeuroQuant.