Yasmina Kattou / Credits: Thibaut Durand / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP
This new MRI, called Iseult, revealed images of astonishing precision. Even if the tool is not yet usable in hospitals, scientists hope that this innovative scanner will help unravel the mystery of certain diseases and greatly advance research.
This is a very promising advance for medicine. Named Iseult, the most powerful MRI in the world has just been tested and its creator is none other than the Atomic Energy Commission based in Saclay, in the Paris region. This device offers unrivaled image resolution. Imagine going from a 60s TV to a 4K TV. In particular, it makes it possible to reveal neurons and areas that are imperceptible on traditional MRI. Images so clear that they will allow us to understand the mechanisms of certain neurodegenerative diseases, explains Nicolas Boulant, research director at the CNRS.
Not yet usable in hospitals
“For Alzheimer’s disease, we know that there is atrophy in the hippocampus that can occur. There, we increase our observation resources tenfold to try to understand this in more depth,” explains he. Thanks to the Iseult MRI, researchers could also follow the path taken by certain drugs such as lithium used for bipolar disorders. “Lithium, we do not yet understand very well the mechanism that makes this drug effective and therefore, by being able to detect this type of chemical species, we can study its distribution within the brain to better identify and understand its role,” indicates Nicolas Boulant again.
This technical feat, the result of a Franco-German partnership, required more than 20 years of work. The device will make it possible to advance research in the near future, but we will have to wait several years before seeing it in hospitals.