Apr 18, 2017

ISMRM 2017: Collaborating to touch more lives with MR

Estimated reading time: 4-6 minutes

There is no denying that Magnetic Resonance Imaging plays a huge role in today’s healthcare, shedding light on intricate anatomical structures and helping clinicians make confident diagnostic and therapy decisions. Yet, we believe MR has the power to do more, and potential to touch even more lives than it does today.

To this end, at Philips we’re now striving to deliver technologies, solutions and innovations that support our vision and make MR even more accessible¹, more definitive² and more impactful. But none of this would be possible without our collaborators.

Working together

It is you, our research collaboration partners, who help to bring our innovations to life – by providing inspiration and input, by testing our applications, by pushing the limits, playing an active role in their development, and by evaluating them and delivering feedback. Without this close relationship, our innovations could not be as tightly aligned with real-world clinical and research needs.

A collaborative approach brings new ideas, principles, and technologies to fruition.

It’s about applying theoretical knowledge and research results to create clinical solutions that make a tangible difference to healthcare."

Every day, our collaborators bring their passion and expertise to the table. In return, we draw on our skills, resources and experience to breathe life into diverse MR projects. Together, we’re unlocking the potential of this valuable imaging modality.

Elevating neuro imaging

Recently, we introduced MultiBand SENSE, a clinical application that supports high acceleration for fMRI and DTI sequences. It allows you to use state-of-the-art acceleration factors in brain imaging, by simultaneously exciting multiple slices. It also lets you increase spatial and temporal resolution with very little impact on SNR.

MultiBand SENSE helps you achieve acceleration factors of up to eight for fMRI and of up to four for diffusion MRI. Plus, it helps you perform fMRI and DTI exams with high speed and high resolution simultaneously³. Due to a shorter minimum TR for fMRI, larger anatomical coverage or higher number of diffusion directions can be acquired⁴.

MultiBand SENSE makes sense for Vermont

MultiBand SENSE came about as the result of a collaboration with the University of Vermont (UVM). Building on the existing research collaboration between the institution and Philips, researchers there approached us about developing Multiband capabilities for our MR scanners. The background: the opportunity for researchers at (UVM) to take part in a large-scale study of adolescent brain cognitive development, the ABCD study⁵, that specified advanced neuroimaging protocols.

Following close collaboration, weekly meetings and exchanges, MultiBand SENSE was born. And it has already had an impact at the university, opening the door to participation in this ground-breaking project. Watch the video to find out how teamwork and MultiBand SENSE are a great combination at the University of Vermont.

MultiBand SENSE makes sense for Vermont

Extending the reach

At RSNA, we introduced an updated suite of clinical applications that includes MultiBand SENSE. As such, we are drawing on our collaborations to make solutions available to our broader customer base and pushing the envelope in MR. This underlines how your inputs are driving innovation and making a difference.

Philips values its collaborations with customers all over the world. You are and have always been an integral part of the MR vision.

Continuing the journey

This will hold true moving forward too. We’re already working on developments and collaborations that will help shape the future of MR. At this year’s ISMRM, we’re showcasing Compressed SENSE⁶ and APT⁶, two upcoming offerings.

Compressed SENSE is designed to tackle the challenges associated with bringing speed and consistent image quality in MRI. And APT (Amide Proton Transfer) is all about addressing the need for confident diagnosis in neuro oncology.

Events such as ISMRM are an ideal platform for us to present new developments and ideas and meet with our customers. We thoroughly enjoy hearing about your experiences, listening to your needs, and developing new ways of working together in MR.

1. Accessible is defined as features that are expected to contribute to speed, consistency, user or patient friendliness.

2. Definitive is defined as features that are expected to deliver alternative contrasts, functional or quantitative images.

3. High speed due to using MultiBand SENSE and high resolution due to using in-plane dS SENSE.

4. Due to a shorter minimum TR.

5. Philips is not a sponsor of the study.

6. Compressed SENSE and APT are works in progress and not for sale in the USA.

About Innovation Matters

Innovation Matters delivers news, opinions and features about healthcare, and is focused on the professionals who work within the industry, as well as Philips as a cutting-edge health technology organization. From interviews with industry giants to how-to guides and features powered by Philips data, our goal is to deliver interesting, educational and entertaining content to empower and inspire all those who work in healthcare or related industries.