Stanford Radiology Unveils Two New MRI Systems at Lucas Center

The Lucas Center for Imaging celebrated a major milestone this week with the unveiling of two new MRI systems, the Siemens 3T Cima.X and Siemens 7T Terra.X (Impulse Edition), bringing additional innovations to enable a wide range of research capabilities at Stanford Radiology.

The event on October 15, 2025, brought together research and clinical faculty across numerous Stanford departments and other academic institutions, trainees, staff scientists, and industry collaborators to both look back on decades of innovation and look ahead to a new generation of discovery.

A Day of Celebration and Reflection

The morning began with a welcome from Quynh-Thu Le, MD, interim chair of the Department of Radiology, who thanked the many industry and academic collaborators who helped make the renovations and installation of the new scanners possible. In her remarks, she noted how “[Stanford Radiology] has some of the best MRI technology in California. But just as important, are the people who will use them to push science forward.”

Former chair of the Department of Radiology Garry Gold, MD, reflected on the department’s long history of MRI innovation, recalling the early days of carrying pulse sequences on magnetic tapes and seeing the evolution of an entire field unfold. “If I’m proud of one thing,” he told the crowd, “it’s passing the torch to a new generation of leaders and brilliant scientists who will define the future of MR and maybe take a few of us old guys along for the ride.”

That spirit of collaboration was echoed by Hiro Fujita, PhD, CEO of Quality Electrodynamics (QED) and CTO of Canon Medical Systems, which are the only two companies who manufacture RF coils for 7T MRI systems. Stanford Radiology’s Fernando Boada, PhD, expressed gratitude for their frequent collaborations on developing custom RF coils to push the limits of what MRI can do. Their remarks reflected the day’s larger theme: that breakthroughs in imaging happen when people from different disciplines come together to tackle hard problems.

Kim Butts Pauly, PhD, Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Radiology, ended the remarks with an overview of the newly renovated facility, which now includes two new patient prep areas, veterinary imaging support, and the two new MRI systems that joined the existing GE 3T Premier and PET/MR scanners. She emphasized that the overarching mission of the Radiological Sciences Laboratory (RSL) division is to solve imaging problems others consider impossible, noting that the new systems are already inspiring new research directions.

What Next-generation MRI Technology Can Do

The day continued with scientific talks from leaders in the field, including Roderic Pettigrew, MD, PhD, Executive Dean of Engineering Medicine and CEO of Engineering Health at Texas A&M University, who first looked back on the journey from the initial idea for a beyond-the-state-of-the-art MRI scanner to what’s now the Cima.X scanner. He urged everyone to think about innovation as a “transgenerational enterprise” because some medical discoveries will require work across not just multiple grants or publication, but across generations. Lawrence Wald, PhD, Professor of Radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, discussed the evolution of gradient systems and how MR technology has become so advanced that the limits researchers now face are physiological and based in human biology. He also offered tremendous insights from his work demonstrating ways to increase performance while remaining within safe limits of operation.

Jonathon Polimeni, PhD, Director of Ultra-high-field MRI at the Lucas Center for Imaging, showcased ways to exploit the sensitivity gains offered by 7T MRI, including improvements in EPI and accuracy that allow imaging of the brain architecture at a submillimeter scale. Manish Saggar, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, showed how MRI technology is helping their lab investigate neurofeedback in the context of depression. Michael Zeineh, MD, PhD, Professor of Radiology at Stanford University, ended the session by showing high-performance MRI is being applied to neuroradiology both clinically and in research, noting that the ultimate goal of neuro MRI is to see brain pathologies as if through a microscope, but without the need to actually take any tissue.

New MRI Scanners in Action

In the afternoon, attendees gathered around the scanner bays for tours of the new MRI suites and live demonstrations of the new technology. Neuroimaging researchers demonstrated how the Siemens 7T Terra.X (Impulse Edition) scanner, with its 200 mT/m gradient strength and advanced head coils, can visualize cortical layers, crossing fibers, and subtle microstructural changes in the brain. In the other suite, a cardiovascular team showcased what’s now possible on the Siemens 3T Cima.X MRI. The rapid gradients, deep-learning-based reconstruction, and built-in biosensors allow the heart to be captured in motion – without the need for any EKG leads – allowing for automated segmentation to reveal perfusion and functional details with unprecedented clarity.

With the two new systems now online, the Lucas Center for Imaging now offers four MR scanners, solidifying its place among the most advanced MRI facilities in the country. It is home to not just remarkable machines, but to the people and collaborations that define what the machines can do. 

Lucas Center for Imaging: A Resource for the Greater MR Community