15 Tesla Magnet for Micro MRI and Magenetic Levitation

The goal of this proposal is to charge a dual-purpose 15 Tesla/50mm warm-bore superconductive NMR magnet to levitate diamagnetic materials for extended times and support high field MR microscopy imaging applications. To the best of our knowledge this will be the first conductive magnet capable of levitating biological samples. There are resistive magnets available, however, operating costs are on the order of $13,000/day for electricity and water. The proposed magnet will cost about $25/day in cryogen consumption. Furthermore, there is no other instrument in the world with the dual capability of MRI and levitation. This instrument will reside at the Center for Interdisciplinary Applications for Magnetic Resonance (CIA-MR) at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus. The CIA-MR staff presently maintains home-built 1.5 T/680 mm and 5.0 T/ 40 mm MRI systems that support biomedical, engineering and physical science research applications. The proposed magnet is similar to high-field NMR spectroscopic magnets, however, the magnet design incorporates a very strong field gradient (approximately 100 T/m) near the top of the cryostat which is necessary for magnetic levitation. Levitation occurs when the magnetic force counterbalances the gravitational force and thus simulates orbital freefall. The geometric center of the magnet has sufficient field homogeneity for MR microimaging applications. This instrument will provide a unique environment to process organic and inorganic materials and investigate biological materials, living and non-living, in a simulated microgravity environment. The levitation aspect of the magnet will e used by a consortium of academic and industrial scientists for the implementation of new types of materials; containerless processing of molten oxide materials; measurement of cell growth and gene expression; and growth of engineered tissues. MR micro imaging applications will focus on hollow fiber bioreactor (HFBR) microstructure and cell metabolism, bone growth and remodeling around orthopedic implants and measurement of cryoprotectant transport in hepatocyte spheroids. This instrument will be available to a consortium of scientists form the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN), Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN), Minnesota Medial Research Foundation (Minneapolis) and Containerless Research, Inc (Evanston, IL). NIH funded grant swill consume approximately 80% of magnet use. This instrument will also integrate into a number of graduate and undergraduate science and engineering courses taught at the University of Minnesota. The goal is to promote hands-on experiments in a high magnetic field/high magnetic field gradient system for students, faculty and industrial partners.