A 4-million-pound (4.74 million euros) PET/MRI scanner at Newcastle University's Centre for In-Vivo Imaging in the U.K. has been damaged beyond repair due to the theft of copper wire from a nearby electricity substation, according to a BBC report.
Thieves targeted an electricity substation powering the equipment at Newcastle University's Westgate Road site on Monday, according to police reports. The theft resulted in "major damage" to the scanner's low-voltage supply, university officials said.
"As a university that is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of adults and children here in the North East, we are extremely disappointed that our PET-MR scanner has been affected by the actions of a selfish minority," the university said in a statement.
The PET/MRI scanner was located at the university's Centre for In-Vivo Imaging, and it was used for dementia and cancer research. It's not clear when the machine will be able to be used again, it said.
