Laboratory equipment manufacturers cut MRI scan times by 10,000

MRI scans can now be carried out 10,000 times faster than in the 1980s, according to one group of experimental laboratory equipment manufacturers.

The team of Max Planck Society scientists have established a number of techniques to accelerate the process in an attempt to overcome the limitations of MRI.

For instance, historically it has been impossible to film moving objects - such as the beating heart - due to the introduction of motion blur.

The scientists looked at encoding spatial information radially, removing its sensitivity to movement as a result.

Meanwhile, they developed a mathematical technique to replace missing data - meaning less information is required to construct a full image.

This means scans can be completed proportionately faster - for example, 20 times faster if just five per cent of the imaging information is required.

Based at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, the scientists are among a group focusing on the interaction between the three conventional scientific disciplines.