Capstone Keynote and Innovation Award:The Story of MRI

PRESENTER AND RECIPIENT

Raymond Damadian, Chairman of the Board & Inventor of the MRI, Fonar Corporation

SESSION ABSTRACT

The story of MRI begins with the story of the original idea to transform a 2¼" test tube analyzer (NMR) into a scanner of the live human body, followed by the story of its indomitable first construction. It concludes with a presentation of MRI's newest revolutionary frontier: video visualization and quantification of the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) by the FONAR UPRIGHT® MRI into and out of the brain and spinal column, and its pivotal role in surmounting today's neurodegenerative diseases, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, childhood autism, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

INTRODUCTION

We talk a lot about innovation and disruptive innovation; but when we speak about the invention of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the term “disruptive innovation” is almost an understatement.

TAKE-AWAY

Innovation sometimes takes a lot of time, research, trial and error, and funding. But when real innovation happens, it changes everyone’s lives.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE MRI

Raymond Damadian: “I couldn’t get this question out of my head. How are we walking around like a human power plant? How do we do it? I spent years researching sodium and potassium ions on cells.”

“I proposed an idea that all tumors could be recognized, and proposed a tool that could scan the body. Having published this idea, I received a call about collaborating on an NMR apparatus project. We were able to measure in the amount of seconds what would normally take two to three days.”

We published our results in 1971: detection is hampered by a lack of contrast, and we could fix it. A year after we received a contract, we were able to detect tumors. In 1977 there was the first ever MRI scan. Visionary nonsense became a reality!

• 1980 – The first commercial scanner was in use. X-rays’ deficiency to successfully image the body’s soft-tissues was finally conquered! 
• 2001 – Introduction of the upright MRI – you can put the patient in virtually any position
• Upright MRI – The patient walks in and watches TV, can put patient in any position–a new revolutionary frontier
• Medical conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease can now be visualized
• In pediatric imaging with cerebral palsy – upright imaging will deliver important data

FINAL THOUGHT

The first innovation isn’t the end of the story; knowledge and insight gained from one innovative idea builds and enables further discovery: innovation is exponential.