CMR Statement

In the early 1970's a new program in magnetic resonance was established at the Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory (FBML). This was the beginning of a tradition of engineering excellence and biological discovery that continues today.
As far back as the 1950's, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was providing physicists and chemists their first peeks at the detailed atomic structure of chemical compounds. Extremely rapid progress led to the discovery that NMR could also image the extraordinarily complex atomic structures of proteins and DNA, the fundamental molecules of living biochemistry. However, in order to conduct these studies scientists needed access to extremely strong magnetic fields that would not change in strength by even a few millionths of a percent over a distance of several centimeters. By the early 1970's, the New England area did not have the facility needed for high-field NMR studies. Moreover, the technology to produce high quality magnetic fields for NMR was in its infancy. The expertise in magnet technology at the FBML made it an ideal location for an initiative in magnetic resonance.

In the mid-1970's funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) was obtained to designate MIT as Biotechnology NMR Resource. Among the first accomplishments, Dr. J. Williams designed a 7 tesla (~140,000 times the Earth's magnetic field!) magnet, while the sophisticated electronics needed to run NMR experiments at such a high field were designed by Dr. David Ruben and Dr. Robert Griffin. In 1979, an 11.7 T magnet and spectrometer were completed. This was one of only two 11.7 T NMR magnets in existence and was a powerful new tool in biological research that was heavily used until 1990. The MIT design group then produced a 14.1 T NMR magnet in 1992 that is still in use today.
Although commercial NMR systems were available since the 1950's, they were not high-field instruments. Starting in the mid-1980's, commercial NMR magnets at fields such as 7.0-11.7 T began to appear in the marketplace while the demand for ever higher fields continued to grow. In fact, in 1994, the first 17.6 T NMR magnets were commercially available. MIT's leadership in magnet technology had paid off.

Today, the MIT/Harvard Center for Magnetic Resonance (CMR) operates under the continued support of the National Institutes of Health and hosts research efforts into cancer, neurological diseases, and many other areas. Our state of the art facility includes two 17.6 T magnets with a third to be delivered later in 2000. Just one 17.6 T NMR magnet requires a 2-3 story room and several thousand square feet of laboratory space! With multiple 17.6 T NMR magnets, the CMR is a valuable resource in New England and will continue to serve this research community for years to come.
So what is next? The advent of high magnetic fields has placed demands on the hardware needed to run experiments in these very high fields. The CMR has recently produced new advances in NMR probe technology, in electron magnetic resonance, and in using microwaves to enhance NMR experiments. The results are powerful new methods for performing biological research and we are looking forward to the continued growth of these exciting new areas!

Slide Shows

Click here to view the new image galleries of the NW15 Construction and Renovation Project to house the new 900 MHz Magnet.

FBML Magnet and Spectrometers

View the images and information about the magnets and spectrometers of the Magnet Lab.