In 2017, Toga and Gabriel Zada, MD, of the Keck School, used the 7T Terra to perform the first ultra-high-resolution scan of a Cushing's disease patient in the United States.

They were able to localize an extremely small pituitary tumor not visible on 1.5T or 3T MRI scanners, suggesting that the new technology could replace the standard invasive diagnostic methods for Cushing's disease. Their findings were published in March 2018 in the Journal of Neurosurgery.


"The 7T may save patients an invasive procedure. It also makes it easier for neurosurgeons to selectively remove a tumor without damaging surrounding areas," said Zada, an associate professor of neurological surgery (clinical scholar) at the Keck School.

Reconfiguring the 7T Terra for clinical use involved minor hardware and software updates to comply with FDA standards.


About the Keck School of Medicine of USC
Founded in 1885, the Keck School of Medicine of USC is among the nation's leaders in innovative patient care, scientific discovery, education and community service. The school has more than 1,750 full-time faculty members and voluntary faculty of more than 2,400 physicians. These faculty direct the education of approximately 800 medical students and 1,000 students pursuing graduate and postgraduate degrees. The school trains more than 900 resident physicians in more than 50 specialty or subspecialty programs and is the largest educator of physicians practicing in Southern California. Keck School faculty also conduct research and teach at several research centers and institutes, including the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC, USC CardioVascular Thoracic Institute, USC Institute of Urology, USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, USC Roski Eye Institute and Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute.

In 2018, U.S. News & World Report ranked the Keck School among the top 35 medical schools in the country.


About the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute
Building on three decades of leadership in the neurosciences, the USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (INI) was founded in 2013 with a landmark gift of $50 million from USC trustee and benefactor Mark Stevens and his wife. The institute, which comprises four interdisciplinary centers, the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, Imaging Genetics Center, Center for Image Acquisition and Center for Integrative Connectomics, is populated by 19 faculty, more than 100 staff and student researchers and thousands of collaborators around the world. INI researchers have launched and contributed to many of the most impactful efforts in the neurosciences, including the National Institutes of Health BRAIN Initiative, Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), Global Alzheimer's Association Interactive Network (GAAIN), Human Connectome Project, Mouse Connectome Project, Enhancing Neuro Imaging Genetics through Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA) consortium, Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), Epilepsy Bioinformatics Study for Antiepileptogenic Therapy (EpiBios4Rx) and many more. In addition to mapping brain structure and activity in health and disease, the institute has emerged as a leader in informatics solutions, providing key data management services including archival, harmonization, quality control, visualization and dissemination for hundreds of studies, thousands of scientists and millions of subjects worldwide.

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