£1.3m MRC Partnership Grant to expand the use of innovative Hyperpolarised Magnetic Resonance Imaging
The technology has the potential to revolutionise the detection and monitoring of disease
Researchers from the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and Nottingham, as well as the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM), and the Institute of Physics (IOP) have been awarded a Medical Research Council partnership grant to form a UK and European partnership focused on helping advance the field of hyperpolarised magnetic resonance imaging.
Hyperpolarised magnetic resonance imaging is an emerging clinical medical imaging technology that has the potential to revolutionise our ability to detect and monitor treatment, much earlier than is currently possible, across several conditions that affect the body, such as cancers and diabetes.
The partnership has two aims, the first to work to develop an endorsed course in hyperpolarised magnetic resonance imaging, providing a baseline of knowledge and skills for industry and academic based staff and students in the field.
Dr James Grist, co-lead of the project from the University of Oxford’s Radcliffe Department of Medicine said: ‘Hyperpolarised Magnetic Resonance Imaging is an exciting field of imaging technology, with enormous potential for use in healthcare and research. It can provide insights into metabolic processes and allow us to gain a better understanding of disease and aid the development of new treatments.
‘I am particularly enthusiastic about our aim to develop an IPEM/IOP endorsed course that equips future staff in our field to upskill in hyperpolarised MRI. Providing a holistic education that cements good practise garnered from academia and industry will be a real step forward for us.’
Tajinder Panesor MInstP, Head of Membership from the IOP, says ‘This partnership offers a unique opportunity to develop an endorsement framework that will benefit numerous academic centres and organisations that deliver physics-based training courses, and to support the development and advancement of the Hyperpolarised Magnetic Resonance Imaging field. By meeting its rigorous requirements, course providers will gain enhanced credibility and recognition for their commitment to the advancement of physics-based knowledge and skills, ultimately benefiting the economy and society’
Dr Jemimah Eve, Director of Policy and Impact at IPEM, said:
“We are delighted to be part of this cutting-edge partnership. Hyperpolarised magnetic resonance imaging has the potential to offer significant benefits for patients, but it essential to train the skilled professionals of the future in its use. This project to create an endorsed training course, will provide that opportunity. Developing the current and future Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering workforce for the benefit of society is at the heart of what IPEM does.
This partnership also offers the opportunity for wider professional development via conferences in leading imaging techniques. These will add to the advancement of science and healthcare globally and put the UK at the forefront of these techniques.”
The second aim of the partnership is to begin a multi-centre study to assess the repeatability and reproducibility of the technology when used to probe metabolism in the healthy human brain.
Dr Sebastien Serres, lead at the University of Nottingham, said:
"At the University of Nottingham, we are excited to launch this multi-centre study in partnership with our collaborators at Oxford and Cambridge. Assessing the repeatability and reproducibility of Hyperpolarised Magnetic Resonance in probing metabolism in the healthy human brain is a critical step toward validating its potential for wider clinical and research applications. This collaboration marks a significant milestone in advancing the clinical translation of Hyperpolarised Magnetic Resonance technology."
The partnership involves centres from the UK (Cambridge, Nottingham, Oxford), Europe (Aarhus University, the Danish Technical University, ETH Zurich, and the German Cancer centre), industry (GE Healthcare, JD Coils, NVision, PulseTeq, Rapid Biomedical, and Siemens Healthineers), and UK professional bodies (IPEM, IOP).
Dr Mary McLean, lead at the University of Cambridge, says:
“The open collaborative environment fostered by this partnership grant will be key to establishing the utility of hyperpolarized MRI. While this cutting-edge technology is currently only available at a small number of sites, it is hoped that by working together with each other and with our industrial partners we can establish robust and reliable methods capable of wider adoption in clinical routine.”