Universities of Geneva

In Switzerland, the Universities of Geneva and Lausanne and their university hospitals have partnered with École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne to establish the Center for Biomedical Imaging. Each hospital has a 3-tesla MRI device for clinical use. The latter institution houses administrative facilities, a 14-tesla MRI machine for experimental use on animals and a 7-tesla device with active shielding and an ultrashort magnet for human clinical research (see image). A signal processing and image analysis facility, and instruments for PET, electroencephalography/brain mapping and phase-contrast radiology also are distributed among the sites. All instruments are compatible, allowing sharing of data and results. Studies at the center will focus on the brain, on cancer and on metabolic diseases such as diabetes.