Enhanced scanning that uses both inhaled xenon gas and AI analysis now being tested at Royal Hallamshire Hospital
A pilot scheme to test a combination of pioneering health technologies is being tested in the University of Sheffield MRI unit at Royal Hallamshire Hospital. The aim is to make traditional scans using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) more cost-effective and widely accessible, reducing NHS waiting lists and saving lives.
The team at the launch of the GE Healthcare low field MRI scanner at Royal Hallamshire Hospital, photo courtesy UKRI
New techniques in MRI scans of the lungs have been pioneered by researchers from the POLARIS group and the University of Sheffield’s Insigneo Institute. In a world first, these have been matched with new MRI and artificial intelligence (AI) technology developed by GE HealthCare. The project is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Medical Research Council through the EPSRC Prosperity Partnerships initiative.
MRI scanners are, of course, widely used to diagnose diseases by created detailed images of the body. The large, expensive machinery is especially good at diagnosing disease in the soft tissue of a body but the lungs, which are largely comprised of open space, present challenges.
A research team led by Professor Jim Wild have pioneered a new technique where patients inhale xenon has prior to the scan, which is hyperpolarised by laser. The results are high-quality images of the lungs even when low magnetic fields are employed.
Meanwhile, medical tech business GE HealthCare has trained AI software on images generated by scanners with a high magnetic field. These are then used to reconstruct images from a low-field scanner better than conventional algorithms, effectively achieving the quality of a high-field scan.
The hope that this could mean cost-effective and more mobile MRI scans are made available on the NHS, allowing patients to be seen more quickly. What’s more, combining this AI tech with lung scanning tech could greatly improve the availability of diagnostic facilities for lung disease. According to the NHS, respiratory disease affects one in five people and is England’s third biggest cause of death.
Over the new few months, testing of the new technology will be limited to healthy volunteers before trials with volunteer patients and validation for future clinical use.
Lord Vallance, Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology, says: ‘MRI scanners have been transformative for healthcare, helping medics better diagnose a host of conditions, including cancer, non-invasively. For many patients, they are lifesaving, helping them to get the treatments they need sooner. From Sir Peter Mansfield’s work through to today, UK-led science has long had a leading role in putting MRI to work, to benefit patients.
‘Made possible thanks to part of our record £22.8bn backing for R&D, this new low-field technology is now making MRI scans easier and cheaper than ever, allowing more patients to access MRI scans, protecting people’s health and easing pressure on the NHS.’
Professor Charlotte Deane, Executive Chair at EPSRC, adds: ‘Our Prosperity Partnerships are harnessing collaborative research by connecting the UK’s leading research communities with businesses. They enable fundamental research, that delivers innovation for individual businesses and industrial sectors, whilst driving wider economic benefits through improved productivity.
‘This MRI scanner technology is a great example of the impact of the Prosperity Partnerships initiative and it’s fantastic to see that it has the potential return on investment by providing earlier diagnoses, save the NHS money and enable access to healthcare services in the community.’
Professor Jim Wild, Project Lead and Director of the Insigneo Institute, says: ‘Building, installing and running MRI scanners gets more and more expensive the higher the magnetic field and limits the accessibility and clinical reach of the technology. With engineering research improvements low field MRI is making a real comeback. Combining our xenon MRI technology with cost effective low-field MRI technology could mean a lot of people with respiratory disease get better and quicker access to a diagnosis and earlier treatment.’
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