Skyra to Prisma Upgrade

Current Timeline

Current phase of upgrade process:                             MRI Control Room and facility finish out.

Completed:

Skyra Final Study Date:                                      12 March 2023

Start Construction:                                             13 March 2023

Skyra Ramp-down:                                             20 March 2023

Skyra Deinstall:                                                   17 – 19 May 2023

Skyra Rig-out:                                                     19 May 2023

Major BIC MRI suite renovations:                     mid-March – end-May 2023

Prisma Delivery and Rig-in:                                4 June 2023

Prisma Mechanical Installation:                         4 – 9 June 2023

MRI Suite finish-out:                                          June 2023 

Prisma System Calibrations:                               5 – 14 July 2023

Prisma Ramp-to-field:                                        10 July 2023

Prisma Applications Training:                            24 – 27 July 2023

In Progress:

BIC facility finish out:                                         31 July - Aug 4 2023

Upcoming:

Substantial Completion:                                     1 Aug 2023

Anticipated operational Date:                            1 Sept 2023

Design / Construction Team

Doug Befroy - Director, Biomedical Imaging Center

Keith Westmoreland - Project Manager, Capital Planning & Construction

Ann Harasimowitz - Facilities Director, College of Natural Sciences

Construction - Linbeck 

Prime / Structural Engineers - Datum

Architectural & Interiors - BGK/CO

Current Progress

7/31/2023

1) Our new 3T Siemens Prisma system - installed and calibrated.

2, 3) The first sets human brain images have been acquired.

3,4) The corridors are now open-plan throughout the Center and office-space for BIC staff has been refurbished.

5,6,7) The space under the drop-zone has been finished out with flexible lab / interview room spaces.

Construction Photo Archive

Project Look-ahead:

** 2-week look-ahead schedules for upcoming construction will be posted here weekly:

Look Ahead Archive

BIC Suite Redesign

Master Construction Schedule:

Skyra → Prisma Upgrade - FAQ

1) Why is the Skyra being upgraded ?

The Skyra was purchased for the BIC in 2012 and is at the end of its lifespan as a state-of-the-art MRI system. A new generation of hardware, electronics and software is available which will better support innovative MRI research.

2) What system is the Skyra being replaced with and what are its features ?

The Skyra will be replaced with a Siemens Prisma, their highest-specification 3T system which is ideally suited for neuroimaging and other MRI research. It features an improved cryostat (magnet), the best-performing gradient set on the market, enhanced shimming capabilities and XA line hardware / software enabling rapid MRI with improved signal/noise and greater spatial and/or temporal resolution than either Skyra or Vida systems. All RF coils currently available on the Skyra will be replicated – including the 32ch and 64ch Head/Neck coils – and RF transmit / receive architecture for X-nucleus applications (but not RF coils) will also be incorporated.  A full range of software licenses and sequence libraries will be hosted including Simultaneous Multi-Slice (SMS, aka Multi-Band), Compressed SENSE, perfusion and ASL, MR Spectroscopy and more. Full lists of RF coils and sequences are available at the appropriate links.

3) How will the system be different to the Skyra ?

Both the Skyra and Prisma are 3T scanners, but the Prisma is a (slightly) physically bigger system. As a consequence the system may be in a slightly different location in the Scanner Room and the extent of the stray field (5 Gauss line) may increase marginally. The Prisma has a more powerful gradient set than the Skyra so certain scans may be louder. The new system will feature Siemens XA30 operating system so the console will have a completely new look and feel (identical to that of the 3T Vida in HDB). 

4) What will the upgrade process / timeline be ?

Feb 2023:           Preliminary BIC suite renovations

Mar 2023:           Decommissioning of Skyra

Mar-May 2023:   Renovations of 3T scanner / equipment / control rooms to accommodate Prisma

early June 2023: Delivery / install of Siemens 3T Prisma system

mid July 2023:   System acceptance tests

July 2023:           Final BIC suite refurbishment

Aug 2023:           Installation / testing of User protocols

                            User training on XA30 hardware / software

                            Substantial completion of project and close-out

Sept 2023:         BIC resumes full operations in NHB

A more accurate timeline will be posted when the design phase of the project is complete and updated regularly throughout construction.

5) Will I be able to continue my studies during the NHB renovations ?

YES – the upgrade process is being phased to ensure that most research in NHB can continue with minimal impact. Key Core Facilities in the NHB basement, including BIC, will remain operational. There may be occasional disruptions and schedule adjustments in order to perform critical construction, but the Skyra should remain in use until it is decommissioned. Planned disruptions will be communicated to Users in advance with as much notice as possible.

6) Will my scanner fees change ?

BIC will be undergoing its triennial Rate Review in the Summer / Fall of 2022, with new Resource Usage Fees set to come into effect for the 2022/23 Financial Year. These rates will be established based on current Center costs vs income, supported by a UT subsidy, and will be ratified and approved by the UT Office of Accounting. We do not expect the upgrade of the Skyra to a Prisma system to have any specific impact on scanner fees.

Community Updates

Community Update – 7/31/2023

Hi BIC community and NHB, FNT and WEL occupants,

After 6 months of construction, we are finally approaching the end of the project to upgrade the MRI in NHB.

Our new Siemens 3T Prisma MRI scanner has been fully installed and calibrated – we acquired our first human images with the system during Siemens training last week. The Center has been renovated with refurbished office and lab space and upgraded utilities have been installed for current and future scanners. Check out the Skyra to Prisma Upgrade page of the BIC Wiki for photos of all this work.

This week is the final full week of construction in NHB as Linbeck put the finishing touches on the facility renovations and hand the site back over to me.

The 2-week Look Ahead schedule shows the upcoming activities – details on the Wikipage. Please note that there has been a delay to the anticipated re-setting of the concrete lintel on the building fascia (scheduled for 8/1) although we are still hoping that this can be completed this week.

The BIC team are starting to re-equip the Center so that it is fully functional for research studies, and we plan to start on-boarding research groups from the middle of the month.

Best wishes,

Doug

Community Update – 7/19/2023

Hi BIC community and NHB / FNT and WEL occupants,

After a hectic few weeks, our new Siemens 3T Prisma MRI scanner is now fully installed and calibrated and was officially handed over to UT on 7/17/2023.

Only a couple of weeks of major construction remain as we complete the renovations to the BIC facility and return NHB to pre-construction status.

Activities over the next 2 weeks will be minimally disruptive and primarily involve finishing out the MRI Control Room and constructing the new lab and office spaces that lie under the access shaft drop-zone within the Center. Please check out the Skyra to Prisma Upgrade page of the BIC Wiki for photos of how things are progressing.

Siemens will be on-site next week to familiarize the BIC team with new system, after which we’ll begin onboarding users to commence scanning on the Prisma. If you’re a member of the BIC community, the team are currently developing a conversion training curriculum and we will distribute details of this process in the near future.

If you have any questions, please reach out.

Best wishes,

Doug

Community Update – 6/14/2023

Hi BIC community and NHB / FNT and WEL occupants,

Despite the last-minute change of delivery date, our new Prisma MRI scanner was rigged into NHB on Sunday 6/4 and is now fully sited within the BIC – you can see photos of the rigging operation on the Skyra to Prisma Upgrade page of the BIC Wiki.

Mechanical installation of the system was completed this past weekend and the cryostat was topped-up with liquid helium yesterday (6/13). We are now in the process of finishing out the MRI suite in preparation for system calibrations. Except for normal construction traffic and noise, there should be no significant building or community-wide impacts over the next 2 weeks. However, the building façade lintel is scheduled to be reinstalled on 6/21/23, which may temporarily restrict access along E 24^th St while it is being hoisted into place.

Full details of all construction activities can be found on the Wiki page – please reach out if you have any queries on concerns.

Best wishes,

Doug

Community Update – 5/29/2023

Hi BIC community and NHB / FNT and WEL occupants,

The second major milestone in our MRI upgrade project has now been accomplished – on Friday, 5/19/2023 the Skyra MRI was removed from the basement of NHB using our new access shaft. The entire rigging operation ran extremely smoothly, and you can see photos of the process on the Skyra to Prisma Upgrade page of the BIC Wiki.

This coming week we are preparing for the installation of our new Prisma system, a process that will involve significant remodelling of the MRI suite. The work will be confined to the BIC but may involve local outages as we re-route and upgrading existing utilities; otherwise, the building-wide impact will be limited to general construction noise. Full details can be found on the 2-week Look-Ahead schedule on our Wiki page.

The week will end with the rigging of the Prisma MRI into the BIC suite on the morning of Saturday, 6/3/2023, which should be another impressive technical operation. As previously, E 24^th Street from Speedway to Gearing Hall (GEA) will be shut starting at 4am, with the equipment hoist anticipated to start at about 9am and completed by early afternoon. Again, the sidewalks along 24^th St will be inaccessible, and NHB will only be accessible from the north and east sides of the building. Once the system is in the building and sited its mechanical installation will commence, which will likely take until 6/8.

Many thanks for your continued cooperation and patience through this process – I’m looking forward to having a shiny, new, state-of-the-art MRI scanner for the benefit of the UT imaging community.

Best wishes,

Doug

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