Helium (He) is a lightest element on the earth, serving applications across multiple industries for various purposes. But the demand for Helium in medical field, especially in MRI systems, impacts the market position of the chemical element. Multiple types of MRI systems are available in the market, requiring assistance of Helium for operating the system as well as for service and maintenance purposes. It is used for cooling down the magnets in magnetic resonance imaging system by bringing the electrical resistance. Historically, U.S. has always been a dominating supplier of Helium by fulfilling 90% of global demand.
Although the demand and supply balance of He is being maintained across the globe, there are some circumstances associated with resource depletion, and hence, the cost of Helium is also expected to fluctuate.
Scott Reeder, MD, chief of MRI at University of Wisconsin and president of the International Society for MR in Medicine said, “This is a wake-up call that we need longer-term, cogent strategies to access affordable helium”
Mahadevappa Mahesh, MS, PhD, professor of radiology and medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said, “Geopolitical factors, shipping and supply chain issues all affected the availability of helium over the summer in 2023”.
Moreover, companies such as Koninklijke Philips N.V. have launched magnetic resonance imaging systems with very small amount of Helium requirement. These systems are bypassing the He requirement. This revolutionary development of Helium free magnetic resonance systems is expected to be the prompt solution over helium shortage issue.