Construction has begun on a £16 million clinical imaging centre to be based at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland.
The University of Glasgow-led Imaging Centre of Excellence (ICE) will house a variety of imaging technologies for scientists to conduct new clinical research. The centre is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.
Among the equipment will be a £7 million 7 Tesla MRI scanner, 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 £20 million 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.’
ICE is supported by £16 million of UK Government funding through the Medical Research Council. Minister for Universities and Science, Jo Johnson MP, helped to break ground to mark the start of construction.
The centre is expected to create more than 200 new jobs for local people, and an independent analysis of ICE’s economic impact concluded that £65 million will be added to the local economy over the next decade.
Medical Research Council Chief Executive Professor Sir John Savill said: ‘New initiatives such as the Imaging Centre of Excellence in Glasgow are at the heart of the Medical Research Council’s role in fostering collaborations between scientists, industry and clinicians to rapidly translate high-quality research into benefits for society.’
Glasgow has also been named as a centre of excellence for precision medicine, one of six regional centres of excellence announced by the UK’s Precision Medicine Catapult.
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