Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) is a new imaging technique that combines the acoustic waves and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to retrieve elastic properties of tissue¹. Because MRE is non-invasive, there is great potential and interest for its use in the detection of cancer^1–4. Many institutes have dedicated a number of studies determining the optimal experimental parameters and methods to perform MRE in vivo ^2,5–8. At present, the only commercial FDA approved system available for clinical use is the Resoundant System (Rochester, MN). To commission the MR Elastography system, prior to clinical implementation, a set of quality control (QC) tests are needed to verify the efficacy of the MR elastography data (i.e. reproduce predefined stiffness values from phantom data). At present, there are no commercially available phantoms that fit the dimensions of the Resoundant system. As well, limitations using scanner software do not allow for a thorough evaluation over a range of stiffness’s required for quality assurance. In this work, we focus on designing a practical MRE phantom that works alongside the Resoundant MRE System. With the aid of newly designed pulse sequences and inversion algorithms we are developing a quality assurance process to validate the efficacy of MRE for applications to other clinical sites (i.e. prostate, cervix, uterus). To verify the efficacy of the MRE technique in a clinical setting, a set of QC tests was performed with two phantoms: an elasticity phantom containing rods of varying stiffness (049A, CIRS Inc., Norfolk, VA) and a prostate phantom containing intraprostatic lesions (053L CIRS Inc., Norfolk, VA). All experiments were carried out on a 3T Skyra platform (Siemens Healthcare, Erlangen, Germany) with the Resoundant system. We employed the Siemens production pulse sequence which encodes the acoustic motion using a 2D gradient echo-based imaging technique. MRE image acquisitions were also repeated using a newly developed spin-echo planar imaging technique (Siemens WIP 923, VE11A). Elastograms were reconstructed using the Siemens scanner inversion program, and MRE/Wave inversion software⁹. The dimensions of the paddle used by the Resoundant system is 18.5 cm in diameter, however the surface dimension for 049A phantom is 17×10 cm. This mismatch in the size of paddle and the phantom causes a number of problems. Firstly, the housing of phantom is not flat with the scanning surface as shown in Figure 1 (A). The air gap between the paddle and scanning surface creates an interface between the wave source and the phantom. Additionally, the small housing causes apparent reflections of the shear waves at the sides of housing wall, and therefore generates significant interference and loss of data integrity¹⁰ (as seen by the checkered region in Figure 2). In order to address these issues, a novel phantom was designed based on the 049A phantom, as seen in Figure 1 (D). The original 049A gel block (white area) was placed in a larger housing filled with a dispersive Zerdine gel (grey area) which minimizes wave reflections from the side walls. As well, the new housing was designed with a larger diameter to fit Resoundant paddle. In figures 3 B and C, we present reconstructed stiffness maps calculated by two different inversion algorithms, the Siemens product software, and the MRE/Wave inversion software. For Lesion #1, the mean shear stiffness was 2.59±0.70 kPa versus 11.82±1.10 kPa respectively. The urethra was 1.63±0.81 kPa versus 14.03±1.72 kPa, and for lesion #2, it was 2.20±0.83 kPa versus 11.04±1.67 kPa. The reason for this difference is because the current scanner’s inversion program was designed for the Liver, and as such limits the stiffness range to 0-8 kPa. The large discrepancies observed demonstrates the limited applications of the MRE system to other sites (i.e. cervix cancer, prostate cancer, etc.) using the system configuration as is. But using the newer Siemens WIP, Resoundant system, and MRE/Wave together expands the range of applications for which MRE can be used. Utility of the modified phantom allows us to perform QC tests to verify the reproducibility of the MRE technique for varying stiffness. In this work we have identified the limited utility of current commercial phantoms available for routine QC tests using the Resoundant MRE system. In collaboration with the manufacturer, we developed a phantom for robust verification of the MRE system over a wide range of stiffness’s, thus expanding the clinical utility to other clinical sites (i.e. prostate, cervix, uterus).