Development and Commercialization of China's First 3T MRI Equipment 

On November 3, the 2020 National Science and Technology Awards were solemnly held in Beijing. The independent development and commercialization of high field MR medical imaging equipment jointly accomplished by Shanghai United Imaging Technology Co., Ltd. and the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) were given the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. 

The development and commercialization of China's first 3T MRI equipment (hereinafter referred to as the 3T system) is the concerted and hard-won effort from enterprises, research institutes and medical fields, which is a milestone of domestic replacement and independent innovation of China's high-end medical facility. It helps China find a way out from the long-term international monopoly and turns it into an owner of MR core technology and overall manufacturing that ranks only second to the USA and Germany.  

Thus, the international layout of the MR industry and technology is changed. A series of high-end domestic MR products have been used by thousands of hospitals in 31 Chinese provinces and been exported to the USA and Europe. It effectively releases people from heavy medical burden caused by imported high-end imaging equipment and developed significant economic benefits for the whole society. 

Key Participants from Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (From left: Li Ye, Liang Dong, Zheng Hairong, Zhu Yanjie, Zou Chao and Liu Xin) 

Shanghai United Imaging Technology Co., Ltd. and SIAT have jointly launched the research and development of the 3T system since their strategic partnership in 2010. This project establishes the MR fast imaging technology system that synergizes software and hardware and technological path that can sparsely acquire, quickly scan and precisely reconstruct image data. As this project rises above the difficulties of core parts and imaging technology, it has authorized 124 patents for invention, 11 USPs, breaks through international intellectual property barriers and constructs the system of proprietary intellectual property rights.  

The fast imaging software has made technological breakthrough in such fields as electronics, spectrometer, RF power amplifier, radio-frequency emission coil, gradient power amplifier, gradient coil and superconducting magnet. Several technical indicators keep pace with international dominance. For instance, 3D tensor encoding technique, high-field superconducting imaging magnet with the largest diameter of hole, gradient power amplifier with maximum power, independent system of high-field MR overall manufacturing, fast imaging sequence of heart and brain, critical illness quantitative diagnosis technique and the full-body clinical application technology system. A wide range of new imaging technologies have been widely recognized by experts of international imaging associations and imaging diagnosis. 

Group Photo of MR Team 

Zheng Hairong who acts as the chief scientist and researcher of SIAT is the first accomplisher of this project. Shanghai United Imaging Technology Co., Ltd. and SIAT are the first and second units in charge, respectively. 

Scientific and technological progress is the momentum pushing national development and living quality forward. To hearten individuals and organizations that made significant contribution to technological development, and motivate scientific workers, the State Council specially sets up the State Natural Science Award in 2000, which encompasses Highest Science and Technology Awards, China's State Natural Science Award, China's State Technological Invention Award, China's State Scientific and Technological Progress Award and China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award. 

Group Photo of Medical Image Center