Varian develops ultra-high-field MRI

Varian NMR of Palo Alto, CA, is drawing from collaborative experiencewith Siemens Medical Systems to introduce a new ultra-high-fieldMRI scanner for research applications.

The whole-body Unity Inova will be marketed by Varian and willcarry its trademark. It will be assembled around 3-tesla and 4-teslasuperconducting magnets built by Siemens subsidiary Oxford MagnetTechnology. Siemens will contribute gradient coils and Varianwill manufacture the spectrometer. The systems will be sold toacademic centers to explore research such as functional MRI andspectroscopy.

Unity Inova is a new permutation of a previous collaborationbetween Varian NMR and Siemens in the 3- and 4-tesla arena. In1990, the two companies formed a joint venture called Sisco (SpectroscopyImaging Systems Company).