July 14, 2005
For immediate release
Contact:  Bob Beard
(434) 982-4490

UVa HEALTH SYSTEM ADDS NEW MRI RESEARCH SCANNER

A new $2 million magnetic imaging resonance (MRI) scanner specifically dedicated to medical research has been installed in the University of Virginia Medical Center as part of a research agreement with Siemens Medical Solutions. The MRI will allow UVa doctors to expand their groundbreaking research into cardiovascular disease by treating and studying hospitalized patients enrolled in research studies and clinical trials.

The new machine, located in the main University Hospital, is believed to be the only MRI dedicated to cardiovascular research in Virginia. It is a state of the art 1.5 tesla Avanto scanner made by Siemens.

“This new MRI will enhance our ability to push the envelope in cardiovascular research,” said Dr. Christopher Kramer, associate professor of radiology and internal medicine and director of cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at UVa. “We will be working, among other projects, to develop new diagnostic techniques for heart failure that will lead to new therapies and ways to diagnose the causes of chest pain when patients come to the emergency room. We will also be using the MRI to develop novel ways to diagnose peripheral arterial disease and follow its treatment.”

Kramer said the new scanner will be invaluable in his effort to complete a clinical study of peripheral arterial disease started 2 years ago with a $3.6 million grant to UVa from the National Institutes of Health.

UVa will hold a grand opening for the new MRI scanner on Tuesday, July 19, 2005. The event kicks off at 3 p.m. in the hospital’s Camp Heart auditorium withremarks by Dr. Arthur Garson, Jr., vice president and dean of the UVA School of Medicine.

There will also be remarks by Nancy Gillen, vice president of the Siemens MRI division, and an address on the role of MRI in cardiovascular research by Robert Balaban, PhD, scientific director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the NIH.  A tour of the scanner follows at 4 p.m. on the 1st floor of the University Hospital. Media interested in covering the open house and tour should call Public Relations at (434) 924-5679.

###