Featured Post from Aston University

New £2.8m MRI scanner delivered to Aston University

Feb 14, 2022

2 min

Jackie Blissett

A landmark moment in the improvement to facilities at Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment (IHN) has been reached with the arrival of its new £2.8m MRI scanner on site.



A landmark moment in the improvement to facilities at Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment (IHN) has been reached with the arrival of its new £2.8m MRI scanner on site.


The new Siemens MAGNETOM Prisma 3T MRI scanner will enhance the world-class neuroimaging research facilities within the Institute. The old machine has already been removed from the building and internal spaces are currently being refurbished before the new scanner is lifted into the building.


Researchers in the Institute use advanced neuroimaging techniques to discover biomarkers of brain health in children with neurological disease.


By detecting those biomarkers, they are able to determine those who are at risk of longer term poor cognitive, behavioural and health outcomes with the goal/vision of providing early support to those children who need it most.


The new scanner will also enable the Institute to provide the most recent innovations in MRI for patients visiting through the clinical service, Aston University Imaging. Patients visiting for MRI scans come through private referrals, as well as from local institutions such as the Birmingham Royal Ballet and Aston Villa football club.


Professor Jackie Blissett, co-director of Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, said:


“The arrival of our new MRI scanner is tremendously exciting. This state-of-the-art equipment is core to our child-focused research programme that delivers a new understanding of development and disease and the interventions that will make a difference.”


Aston University Students' Union President, Balraj Purewal added:


"It is great that we have a new state-of-the-art MRI scanner being installed on our campus. It will not only help our researchers in their work, but will also be of benefit to patients in the community, including young people, supporting both their diagnosis and treatment."


For more information about the Aston Institute of Health and Neurodevelopment, please visit our website.


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Jackie Blissett

Jackie Blissett

Professor of Psychology

Professor Blissett has a interest in children’s fussy eating including poor fruit and vegetable acceptance, emotional eating, and obesity.

Feeding and Eating BehaviourPsychologyChildhood Eating BehaviourFussy EatingDevelopmental Psychology

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