Bringing new healthcare innovations from research into clinical practice often takes years. Philips and the University of Washington are exploring whether closer collaboration from the earliest stages of research could help accelerate that journey while expanding future access to advanced MRI care. The collaboration brings together clinical expertise, imaging research and MR innovation to explore new approaches in an area where MRI continues to show strong diagnostic potential, particularly for women with dense breast tissue.

Philips and the University of Washington have an existing relationship in MR research and share a strong interest in exploring how emerging technologies could support future innovation in imaging. With its expertise in breast MRI research and strong connection to clinical practice, the University of Washington offered an opportunity to bring together complementary expertise in research, clinical care and MR innovation.

The collaboration reflects a broader ambition shared by both organizations: working more closely together from the earliest stages of exploration to better connect innovation with clinical practice. “We believe innovation becomes more meaningful when researchers, clinicians and technology experts work together from the start,” said Betsabeh Madani-Hermann, global Head of Research at Philips. “This collaboration allows us to explore ideas in close connection to clinical practice, while learning together in a fast and focused way.”

Exploring opportunities in breast MRI

Unlike mammography, MRI can provide additional functional imaging insights, which may support the detection of abnormalities in certain patient groups. Breast MRI is widely recognized for its sensitivity in detecting abnormalities, especially in women with dense breast tissue. At the same time, broader adoption can be challenging due to factors such as workflow complexity, scan time, cost and the use of contrast agents.

Within this exploratory project, the teams are studying whether AI combined with non-contrast diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) may help researchers better understand opportunities to improve imaging workflows and diagnostic confidence, while exploring approaches that could potentially broaden access to advanced MRI care in the future. 

Unlike traditional breast MRI, non-contrast DWI does not require contrast agents and may offer opportunities to simplify parts of the imaging process. Researchers are exploring whether AI could help enhance the interpretation of these images while maintaining valuable diagnostic insights. The work is currently in an early research phase, and no clinical conclusions can be drawn at this stage.

A collaborative approach to early-stage research

What makes the collaboration distinctive is the close involvement of the clinical collaborator throughout the process. Researchers at the University of Washington are leading much of the data preparation and model development work, while Philips contributes MR expertise, AI infrastructure, research support and guidance on translating exploratory research into potential future clinical innovation. 

The project also benefits from Philips Paradise AI, Philips' AI research platform, which provides a scalable environment for AI development and experimentation. By leveraging an established research infrastructure, the teams can focus more directly on algorithm development, model evaluation and clinical research questions, rather than spending time creating and maintaining underlying AI infrastructure.

The collaboration was intentionally designed to launch through a structured and agile process, bringing together clinical, research and product development expertise from the outset. That early alignment enabled the teams to move rapidly from defining a shared clinical challenge to actively exploring potential solutions, creating a more integrated way of working than is typical for early-stage academic-industry collaborations. 

“Working closely with academic and clinical collaborators from an early stage helps us explore ideas in a more connected way and learn directly from clinical practice throughout the process,” said Sathish Kumar Balakrishnan, Head of Magnetic Resonance R&D at Philips. “This collaboration reflects an ongoing focus on working with leading academic and clinical collaborators to explore promising innovations in MR and better understand how emerging technologies may support future healthcare needs.”

Learning together

“For academic medical centers, innovation is most meaningful when it is grounded in real patient needs and informed by the realities of daily clinical care,” said Savannah Partridge, Professor of Radiology at the University of Washington and Principal Investigator of the project. “Working closely with Philips allows us not only to evaluate emerging MRI approaches, but to actively shape and develop new technologies together, ensuring they are designed from the outset to address clinically relevant challenges and expand access to high-quality imaging for more patients.”

The project officially started earlier this year and will continue through several iterative research phases over the coming months. Teams from both organizations will jointly evaluate the progress and potential next steps later this year. At this stage, the focus is on learning together, exploring the potential of the approach and evaluating what could be possible in the future.

Beyond the technical exploration, the collaboration is also testing a new model for early-stage innovation. By bringing clinical expertise, research and product development together from the outset, Philips and the University of Washington aim to learn how earlier, more structured collaboration can help accelerate meaningful innovation and improve access to care.