On June 1, 2022, following the annual BBL-CIBM-FCBG Research Day, an on-site inauguration of a MAGNETOM Prisma Fit 3T MRI scanner took place at the University Medical Center in Geneva gathering over 100 attendees.
The ceremony was opened by Dr. Pina Marziliano, the CIBM Center for Biomedical Imaging Executive Director, who, after a brief welcome, gave the floor to Prof. Antoine Geissbuhler, Vice-rector of the University of Geneva and President of the CIBM Strategy Committee who talked about the importance of interinstitutional collaboration in the Lemanic region. His speech was followed by remarks delivered by Prof. Mireille Betrancourt, Dean of the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva who spoke about the history of the interfaculty Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, the importance of MRI, and the illustrious achievements of the Brain and Behavior Laboratory, co-directed by Prof. David Sander and Prof. Patrik Vuilleumier. Prof. Betrancourt also stressed the institutions’ commitment to sustainability, which has been clearly demonstrated by the decision to upgrade the scanner instead of disposing of it and purchasing an entirely new infrastructure.
The opening session concluded with a speech delivered by Prof. Cem Gabay, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva who spoke about the original funding sources of the Brain and Behavior Laboratory and thanked all contributors to the upgrade of the 3T MRI. Prof. Gabay also acknowledged Prof. Vuilleumier’s expertise and his notable contributions as the Faculty Advisor of the Human Neuroscience Platform at Campus Biotech, which will soon be hosting a new human 7T MRI scanner.
After the opening session, the inauguration ceremony continued with an engaging video demonstrating the research activity conducted at the Brain and Behavior Laboratory, the dismantling of the old scanner, and the setup of MAGNETOM Prisma Fit. This state-of-the-art magnetic resonance imaging scanner developed by Siemens Healthineers has been integrated into and will be managed by the recently created CIBM MRI UNIGE Cognitive and Affective Neuroimaging Section led by Prof. Vuilleumier.
The second part of the inauguration event featured an invited scientific talk delivered by Dr. Jürgen Dukart, leader of the "Biomarker Development" working group at the Brain and Behavior Institute of Neuroscience Medicine, Jülich Research Center - the biggest research center in Germany. In his presentation titled “Applications of magnetic resonance imaging to improve system-level understanding of brain pathology underlying neurological and psychiatric diseases”, Dr. Dukart spoke about the research conducted by Jülich Research Center, some of its case studies, as well as clinical trials and the ongoing collaboration with industrial players.
The inauguration concluded with a group photo and cocktail reception. The CIBM motto “together, going beyond” has been emphasized throughout the event giving the audience the sense of engagement and commitment demonstrated by all the stakeholders engaged in this important undertaking. The integration of the BBL team members and the upgraded 3T MRI into the CIBM is an important milestone and a solidification of the successful, long-time collaboration.
