Product Background: Magnetica MRI Project: creating the next generation of MRI scanners
Human diagnostic imaging plays a key role in developed healthcare goals of early detection, prevention and monitoring of disease treatments. Imaging encompasses a range of complementary modalities including MRI, X-ray, ultrasound, CT, PET and nuclear imaging. High field superconducting MRI scanners have a major advantage over other modalities in not only providing exquisite images of tissue cartilage and organs but also using non-ionising radiation thus enabling multi-repeat studies without exposing patients to harmful x-rays. Its disadvantage is high equipment and installation costs, particularly at a time where developed governments are focused on reducing and making healthcare costs more efficient. Advances in drugs, treatment and management of disease mean early detection improves survival rates, quality of life and reduced treatment costs.
One solution to reduce expense and improve efficiency of MRI is to develop smaller, dedicated scanners that are cheaper to purchase, operate and site, and can also improve efficiency of existing ‘workhorse’ larger scanners. Magnetica’s first patent protected product provides this solution, providing gold standard images of human extremities (arms, hands, wrists, elbows, ankles and knees) which comprise around 20% of all scans, but at a price of approximately one-third, and only 10-20% the infrastructure cost of a whole body scanner, breaking even at around 3 scans per day. This product, developed in partnership with a Japanese superconducting magnet manufacturer, it is now in full production in Japan and being distributed globally by GE Healthcare, a US$17 billion company and leader in the global MRI market.
There is no other comparable product currently in the market, capable of producing gold standard images of human extremities (ankles, knees, hands, feet and wrists), with greater patient efficiency and lower purchase, operation and installation costs.
The magnet is small, easy to site , quiet and non-claustrophobic. The patient reclines on a chair similar to a dentist’s chair and inserts only the body part to be imaged into the bore of the magnet. This is a very different concept to the routine clinical MRI system which requires the patient to lie enclosed in the magnet regardless of what part of the body is being imaged. This makes the system very attractive for hospitals and clinics in terms of cost efficiency coupled with improved quality of outcomes for clinician and patient.
The project seeks to build on this expertise and success by developing Magnetica’s new innovative technology into a unique to market specialist MRI scanner for sale on the global MRI market. It is expected that this technology will underpin the platform for a succession of next generation MRI systems.
Current Product Portfolio
Magnetica's highly innovative, patented technology covers product offerings including magnets and magnet systems (gradient and RF coils) currently in production or development.
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High field MRI extremity magnets developed in collaboration with Jastec
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Very high field whole body magnets
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Very high field extremity magnets
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Very high field extremity magnet gradients and RF coils
Magnetica has the support of Queensland Government grants to develop certain of its cutting edge product designs, with further support from both the University of Queensland and Jastec
- Next Generation Products using new proprietary technology
In May 2010, the Premier of Queensland announced that Magnetica, with supporting partners Jastec and UQ, had won a Smart Futures Fund Grant of $1 million for the development of a new very high field extremity magnet, gradient and RF coils.
This new product will be designed for incorporation into a dedicated small scanner, that provides a number of advantages over whole body scanners, including increasing patient comfort and reduced claustrophobia (the patient reclines in a chair and inserts only the part to be imaged in the bore of the magnet – not their whole body), increased efficiency (quicker and cheaper to take an image than using an expensive whole body scanner) and enhanced imaging capability (whole body scanners are not well suited to taking extremity images as the part to be imaged needs to be in the centre of the magnet which is logistically difficult and uncomfortable in a whole body scanner) (Laskaris, 2007).
Currently very high field MRI scanners exist only as large whole body scanners, but are in high demand by clinicians as they represent current state of the art technology, increasing imaging quality and resolution, enabling MRI to be used for a wider range of applications, and hence diagnostic capabilities. This project takes extremity imaging (particularly cartilage) a stage further – to ‘platinum’ standard, which is increasingly in demand by clinicians.
The project is at feasibility stage, with two technological approaches under assessment, including a new approach that Magnetica filed a patent application to protect in late 2009.
- Further products
Magnetica is currently exploring several prospective new products, and potential manufacturing partners.
If the new technology mentioned above proves feasible, demonstrating its validity may enable development of further superconducting magnets using this proprietary design approach, and possible license opportunities for other specialist and whole body magnets. If successful, this would be the first major breakthrough in superconducting magnet or magnet system design since the development of shorter whole body size magnets in the late 1990s. In particular Magnetica believes this technology could be applied to head and other extremity scanners.