The new building has been designed to house a state-of-the-art medical imaging suite. This would include a 7T MRI – to be the first in South Australia and only one of three in Australia – but notably the only one in the country to have clinical capacity.
The 7T MRI provides unparalleled resolution of brain, spinal cord, muscles, tendons, and other tissues which could:
- provide improved surgical outcomes for brain surgery for epilepsy and Parkinsons disease including deep brain stimulation.
- allow better understanding of the structural basis for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, dementia; multiple sclerosis; amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and potentially, the improved management of these disorders.
- detect very small changes in brain blood flow which would allow more-accurate functional maps to avoid injuring critical brain areas during tumor removal or seizure surgery.
The 7T MRI would be supported by a 0.55T MRI, which would be the first in the Southern Hemisphere and would:
- allow whole-body imaging and imaging of areas with air (such as throat and lungs which is in great demand).
- enable a test case for use in rural and remote settings due to its relatively light weight and portability.
- help researchers analyse and understand dementia, stroke, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, post-traumatic stress and other neurological disorders, to transform research and clinical outcomes.
Introducing this imaging suite would see Flinders University become part of the National Imaging Facility (INF) and a wider global network – growing Adelaide’s international reputation as a Biomedical city while cementing Flinders’ position as the largest integrated academic hospital campus in South Australia.
The imaging suite would require approximately $20 million investment over the next ten years.
The building will also be filled with other specialist equipment, which requires additional financial support. There are also opportunities to gift to the construction, including naming labs, spaces and even the building itself.
To find out how you can give to this medical imaging suite, or other elements of the building, contact Sarah Walsh, Interim Executive Director of the Office of Communication, Marketing and Engagement at sarah.walsh@flinders.edu.au or 0409 366 292.
