Minister for Universities and Science Jo Johnson MP helped to break ground to mark the construction of a new University of Glasgow-led clinical imaging centre. The minister was visiting the site at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital where the new Imaging Centre of Excellence (ICE) will be based.
The ICE, supported by £16m of UK Government funding through the Medical Research Council as part of the Glasgow & Clyde Valley City Deal, will provide clinical research facilities which will be unique in the UK and create more than 200 new jobs for local people. The centre is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.
The ICE will house state-of-the-art technology to enable scientists to conduct new clinical research. The ground floor of the building will house a variety of imaging technologies including a £7M 7 Tesla MRI scanner. The 7 Tesla is an ultra-high resolution scanner which will allow the development of advanced diagnostic imaging methodologies for use in stroke, cardiovascular disease and brain imaging.
Anna Dominiczak, Vice Principal and Head of the University of Glasgow’s College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, said: “The ICE is a major addition to the University of Glasgow’s expertise in the field of personalised medicine, following the establishment of the £20m University-led Stratified Medicine Scotland Innovation Centre in 2013. Personalised medicine helps clinicians deliver the right therapy to the right patient at the right time to deliver the most effective care possible, tailored to their needs.”
Patients will be present on site, with the centre accommodating acute stroke patients arriving by ambulance, day-care patients and healthy volunteers.
