Lawson Research Institute at St. Joseph’s Health Care London has installed Canada’s first Siemens Healthineers Biograph One PET/MRI scanner, according to St. Joseph’s.
The $8M system combines PET and MRI in 1 scanner. It is intended to capture structural soft-tissue information and cellular metabolic activity during the same imaging session.
Jean Théberge, PhD, director of Lawson’s Biomedical Imaging Research Center, will lead studies using the system. Planned research areas include cancer, stroke, neurological disorders, chronic pain, musculoskeletal injury, depression, bipolar disorder, and other mental health conditions.
Lawson said the new scanner gives researchers higher sensitivity for radioactive tracers used in imaging. The institute said this may allow smaller structures and disease-related processes to be studied at higher resolution.
“We are going to combine MRI and PET in never-before-seen ways to transform the way we diagnose and treat patients,” Théberge said.
The system was acquired through a $65.75M investment from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, in partnership with the WorkSafe Ontario Fund. The investment also supports Lawson’s Workplace Injury Research Network.
Renovations for the Biograph One began in January 2026, including infrastructure, control-room, and injection-room upgrades. Lawson Imaging Research Program said research scanning was expected to resume in May 2026 after installation and commissioning.
Siemens Healthineers describes Biograph One as a PET/MR scanner with a 35 cm axial field of view, Optiso UDR Pro PET detector, 3T magnet, Deep Resolve MR acceleration, and workflow tools including myExam Companion.
Lawson was also first in Canada to adopt PET/MRI technology in 2012, according to St. Joseph’s. The new system is research-dedicated and connected to Lawson’s molecular imaging and theranostics infrastructure.
Company:Siemens Healthineers
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