Subject-specific MRI passive shims and receive coils through 3D printing

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive medical imaging technique that is widely used in both clinical practice and research. Unfortunately, MRI data acquisition is inherently slow and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) starved. Therefore, scanner access is limited and scans are relatively long, costly, and susceptible to motion artefacts. One of the most efficient ways to improve the SNR is by making the receive coils, which are used to pick up the signal, closely fit the subject to be imaged. However, the high cost of such coils prevents a tailored design. Because of the resulting large gaps between the currently used standard coils and the subject, much of the signal is lost. This project will enable bespoke close-fitting receive coils through a radically novel, computer-controlled fabrication workflow, resulting in a cost reduction of one to two orders of magnitude compared to commercial solutions. Combined with the dramatically increased design flexibility, this cost reduction will cause a paradigm shift towards a subject- and application-specific approach in both research and clinical work, enabling higher-quality data and unlocking new types of studies.