First Indian-made MRI scanner to be launched for clinical work in October

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Last Updated15/08/2023

The first made-in-India MRI scanner is set to unveil its first clinically validated product in October at the Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Bengaluru.
It is developed by the Bangalore-based Voxel Grids Innovations Private Limited.

Since 2006, the world has been battling a shortage of helium.
Reasons
- It is sourced primarily from natural gas reserves, which are becoming increasingly scarce.
- The Russia-Ukraine war has further squeezed liquid helium supply.
Helium’s primary use in MRI is as a coolant to maintain low temperatures for superconducting magnets.
The shortage has impacted MRI facilities adversely, including in India.

India currently has about 4,500 MRI scanners, which is a third of what is required.
The scarcity means higher costs, with prices ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹25,000 for MRI services.
Customized machines by multinational companies come with high costs and limited accessibility.

It is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body.
MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients and radio waves to generate images of the organs in the body.

It avoids dependence on scarce liquid helium by using liquid nitrogen for cooling.
Other Innovations include bottom-up software design and customized hardware.
The design also enables faster scans.
It would be “40% cheaper” than the ones currently available in the market.
The cost of scanning will be potentially cut by 30%.
- This addresses accessibility issues for MRI scans in India, especially in rural areas.
The scanner weighs 2.3 tonnes lighter than the average scanner.
- This allows it to be mounted on mobile platforms and transported to healthcare settings outside cities.