Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), plays a pivotal role in healthcare, determining treatment paths and eligibility for procedures like hip or knee replacements. Yet, approximately 90% of the global population lacks access to this vital technology, creating barriers to essential care, particularly in rural or remote areas, and even within parts of the United States.
The prospect of a more compact, affordable, and easily installable MRI machine raises an intriguing question: How many lives could be saved, and how much suffering could be alleviated with improved access to this transformative technology?
In 2021, UCSF became the first of a handful of healthcare organizations to acquire a mid-field MRI, the Siemens 0.55T Free Max. Since then, UCSF has been conducting research to better understand the promise of these machines and to improve the artificial intelligence associated…
