Siemens nets EU approval for MR/PET system

Biograph molecular magnetic resonance (mMR), a whole-body molecular MR combining PET data acquisition. Image source: Siemens Healthcare

Siemens Healthcare has received the CE mark for its Biograph mMR system, a whole-body molecular MR with simultaneous MR and PET data acquisition technology.

Biograph mMR comprises a 3T MR scanner and a PET detection system with an architecture that was designed for uncompromised MR and PET image quality. While MR provides morphological and functional details in human tissue, PET investigates the human body at the level of cellular activity and metabolism.

With its simultaneous data acquisition, the system may help identify neurological, oncological and cardiac conditions of disease and support therapy planning, said Erlangen, Germany-based Siemens. The Biograph mMR also will explore development of new biomarkers or new therapeutic approaches.

Siemens has already installed various Biograph mMR systems at customer sites for clinical research, including Klinikum rechts der Isar of the Munich Technical University, the Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen in Germany, and Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Customers can begin using the new system in Europe for clinical routine applications, according to the company. The system, first unveiled last November, has not received FDA approval.