Hyperfine's Swoop Portable MR Imaging system
Astronauts to undergo brain MR via Hyperfine's Swoop to assess impact of space travel
September 13, 2024
by Lauren Dubinsky, Senior Reporter
Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina will use Hyperfine's Swoop Portable MR Imaging system to assess astronauts' brains before and after the Polaris Dawn mission. Their goal is to get more insight on spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS), which is associated with ocular and brain structural changes.
“In order to capture this early time point, I needed a portable MR scanner that could easily go where the astronauts would be immediately after landing, whether it be in the SpaceX facility at Cape Canaveral, FL, at a location in the nearby area, or even one day, perhaps, on the recovery ship,” Dr. Donna Roberts, principal investigator, told HCB News. “Therefore, I decided to use the Swoop system as it is the only FDA-cleared portable MR imaging system.”
She added that the portable MR technology was attractive to her since it represents the first step toward her dream of one day having advanced imaging capability in space.
The crewmembers of the Polaris Dawn mission will undergo the MR brain scans seven days before launch, hours after their return, and one day after that. NASA astronauts typically undergo imaging two to five days after return to Earth, so these will be the earliest brain images taken of astronauts after they return to Earth.
“One of the biggest constraints for performing research on astronauts is limitations on their time, particularly postflight,” explained Roberts. “During the postflight time period, multiple investigators want to have access to the astronauts who graciously give their time to further science.”
The astronauts also want to have some downtime and reconnect with their families after completing a multiday mission away from Earth, so traveling to a traditional medical facility to undergo an MRI is low on their priority list. Roberts and her team are circumventing that wasted time by bringing the MR system directly to the astronauts.
According to NASA, 70% of astronauts on the International Space Station experience some degree of swelling in the back of the eye. When astronauts experience weightlessness in space, blood and cerebrospinal fluid shift toward the head and that is thought to cause the eye and brain structural changes characteristic of SANS.
The researchers will use the Swoop system to perform a volumetric analysis of the astronauts' brain and cerebrospinal fluid spaces in order to evaluate intracranial volume changes. The images will help them understand if the intracranial venous congestion happens during spaceflight or when the brain is readapting to Earth.
The Swoop system was cleared by the FDA in August 2020, making it the first portable, ultra-low-field MR system that can provide imaging at multiple points of care. The magnet is 64 mT and the system is 59 inches tall and 33 inches wide, weighing about 1,400 pounds.
Once it's plugged in, it is ready to scan in less than two minutes and is capable of performing T1, T2, FLAIR, and DWI AI-powered imaging sequences. Since its introduction to the market, hospitals have adopted it for a range of uses.
UC Davis Health purchased its Swoop system in March 2022 to help diagnose traumatic brain injuries more quickly. The health system decided to go with a portable system because traditional fixed MR systems can be "inconvenient and inaccessible for providers and patients — particularly when time is critical."
Jefferson Abington Hospital in Pennsylvania purchased its system in June 2023 for the ICU. Since it's difficult to transport critically ill patients, the Swoop system allows them to perform brain imaging in the patient room.
The news announced today marks the first time the Swoop system will be used to assess astronauts. The Falcon 9 launched Polaris Dawn on September 10th at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the crew will spend up to five days in orbit.
“Given the historic aspects of the Polaris Dawn Mission including the highest achieved Earth orbit of 1400 km, with higher radiation exposure to the crew and the first commercial space walk, we are excited to be part of this mission,” said Roberts.
“In order to capture this early time point, I needed a portable MR scanner that could easily go where the astronauts would be immediately after landing, whether it be in the SpaceX facility at Cape Canaveral, FL, at a location in the nearby area, or even one day, perhaps, on the recovery ship,” Dr. Donna Roberts, principal investigator, told HCB News. “Therefore, I decided to use the Swoop system as it is the only FDA-cleared portable MR imaging system.”
She added that the portable MR technology was attractive to her since it represents the first step toward her dream of one day having advanced imaging capability in space.
The crewmembers of the Polaris Dawn mission will undergo the MR brain scans seven days before launch, hours after their return, and one day after that. NASA astronauts typically undergo imaging two to five days after return to Earth, so these will be the earliest brain images taken of astronauts after they return to Earth.
“One of the biggest constraints for performing research on astronauts is limitations on their time, particularly postflight,” explained Roberts. “During the postflight time period, multiple investigators want to have access to the astronauts who graciously give their time to further science.”
The astronauts also want to have some downtime and reconnect with their families after completing a multiday mission away from Earth, so traveling to a traditional medical facility to undergo an MRI is low on their priority list. Roberts and her team are circumventing that wasted time by bringing the MR system directly to the astronauts.
According to NASA, 70% of astronauts on the International Space Station experience some degree of swelling in the back of the eye. When astronauts experience weightlessness in space, blood and cerebrospinal fluid shift toward the head and that is thought to cause the eye and brain structural changes characteristic of SANS.
The researchers will use the Swoop system to perform a volumetric analysis of the astronauts' brain and cerebrospinal fluid spaces in order to evaluate intracranial volume changes. The images will help them understand if the intracranial venous congestion happens during spaceflight or when the brain is readapting to Earth.
The Swoop system was cleared by the FDA in August 2020, making it the first portable, ultra-low-field MR system that can provide imaging at multiple points of care. The magnet is 64 mT and the system is 59 inches tall and 33 inches wide, weighing about 1,400 pounds.
Once it's plugged in, it is ready to scan in less than two minutes and is capable of performing T1, T2, FLAIR, and DWI AI-powered imaging sequences. Since its introduction to the market, hospitals have adopted it for a range of uses.
UC Davis Health purchased its Swoop system in March 2022 to help diagnose traumatic brain injuries more quickly. The health system decided to go with a portable system because traditional fixed MR systems can be "inconvenient and inaccessible for providers and patients — particularly when time is critical."
Jefferson Abington Hospital in Pennsylvania purchased its system in June 2023 for the ICU. Since it's difficult to transport critically ill patients, the Swoop system allows them to perform brain imaging in the patient room.
The news announced today marks the first time the Swoop system will be used to assess astronauts. The Falcon 9 launched Polaris Dawn on September 10th at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the crew will spend up to five days in orbit.
“Given the historic aspects of the Polaris Dawn Mission including the highest achieved Earth orbit of 1400 km, with higher radiation exposure to the crew and the first commercial space walk, we are excited to be part of this mission,” said Roberts.