Breast cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women, with over 200,000 new cases and 40,000 deaths in the United States every year. Early detection improves outcomes, reducing mortality rates by 15-40% with current mammography technology. Although mammography is the standard of care for screening, it does not have particularly high sensitivity. MRI is approximately twice as sensitive, but MRI is an expensive technology and not commonly available outside large radiology centers.

The project aims to develop a low-cost MRI device for breast cancer screening. A small magnet generates the magnetic field, and an innovative field cycling concept bypasses the constraint of a high, homogeneous magnetic field, enabling the smaller, cheaper magnet. The small footprint system, including the gradients, coils, and console, will all be designed specifically for breast cancer screening. The intent is to create a device that costs 10x less than the current standard and can be used in community settings.