Medical Imaging Laboratory

The Centres for Research-based Innovation [SFI] represent a scheme where several industrial partners, university and hospital work together in an open research environment. MI Lab was able to create a transdisciplinary environment for open innovation and long-term industrial research with high scientific quality and great commitment from the partners in the areas of ultrasound imaging, MR Imaging and image-guided surgery. During MI Lab?s lifetime (2007-2015) there have been 276 full scientific papers with MI Lab involvement, 11 inventions considered for patenting, and 45 new and/or improved products and methods for the MI Lab industrial and health care partners. GE Vingmed Ultrasound AS was the most active industry participant and they have identified some opportunities that would not have existed without MI Lab: key product features, clinical research on new methods and applications, and continued idea generation in technology and medicine for potential commercialization in the future. The other industry partners were small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with a high level of competence and expertise in their R&D departments. Even though the resources they could put into the long-term research in MI Lab were limited, they appreciated MI Lab as an important transdisciplinary platform for research on technology and methods relevant to their products and market areas. MI Lab research and innovation also benefited society through the application in the health care system of new and/or improved products and methods for patient diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Much of the new technology will contribute to more cost-effective solutions and help provide the basis for a sustainable health care system. St. Olavs Hospital was an active partner in MI Lab, and a broad range of hospital physicians were involved in the MI Lab projects. For St. Olavs Hospital some of the new methods could be applied directly in the daily work without passing through product development by the industrial partners. MI Lab had a strong focus on researcher training and for the entire eight-year period there will be 32 completed PhDs funded by MI Lab. There were also 19 post doc fellows with funding from MI Lab (some of these were clinical doctors with part-time post doc positions). There were also 40 completed PhDs and 16 post docs that conducted their research in connection to the MI Lab projects, resulting in a total of 72 PhDs and 35 post docs involved in MI Lab research and innovation. The recruitment of highly capable and motivated researchers has been a strong success factor for MI Lab, and within this transdisciplinary research environment there has been a continuous generation of new ideas with potential for fulfilling the MI Lab vision of innovation that may facilitate improved patient outcome and cost-efficient health care, and to help Norwegian industry become successful in the international market. It has been inspiring to see the level of competence and enthusiasm of this group of PhDs and post docs. They obtained medical R&D experience in the intersection of university, industry and hospital, and have proved to be a future pool for recruitment of high-quality personnel for Norwegian industrial R&D, health care and academia. MI Lab has strengthened the medical imaging research environment in Trondheim (a collaboration with NTNU, St. Olavs Hospital and SINTEF), and has helped increase the focus on innovation and industrial collaboration. This transdisciplinary research environment will be continued and further expanded. Important examples are the new Centre for Research-based Innovation CIUS (Centre for Innovative Ultrasound Solutions), the new national research infrastructure in image guided therapy NorMIT (Norwegian Centre for Minimally Invasive Image Guided Therapy and Medical Technologies), and the new infrastructure for advanced patient imaging with co-localization of the first clinical hybrid PET-MR system in Norway (installed in 2013), and the first ultra-high field 7 Tesla clinical MRI system (to be installed in 2018/2019). The latter is part of the national research infrastructure NORBRAIN headed by the Nobel Prize winner Edvard Moser.

MI Lab is a three-way collaboration between world class ultrasound and MR research groups at NTNU, user partners in the healthcare system and corporate partners with proven success in the international market for medical imaging equipment. A main asset fo r MI Lab is research integration with the users in St. Olavs Hospital. The key to MI Lab success is the iterative process between innovations in technology and innovations in medical applications of the new technology. This is a prerequisite for translati on of new technology into new clinical practice, and for success of new products and applications in the international market. MI Lab will have a focus on researcher training and scientific publication, and the goal is a total of 30 new PhD doctorates. MI Lab's research tasks are: - Ultrasound technology innovation. Two specific goals are image resolution of 0.1-1 mm cubic (dependent on depth of imaged organ) and ten-fold increase in sensitivity for ultrasound contrast agents. - Medical imaging applicatio ns for non-expert users. The aim is to provide ultrasound capability at the general practitioner level and advanced MRI and ultrasound protocols at small local hospitals. - Image-guided minimally invasive surgery. One specific goal is to enable radical su rgery of brain tumours with minimal damage to brain tissue and patient function. - Image-based information to support medical decision-making. Two specific goals are to develop and evaluate methods for: in-vivo phenotyping of breast and prostate cancer wi th combined MR and ultrasound, and MR guidance of stem cell therapy in heart and brain. These activities will create value for: - the patient, in terms of better outcome and subsequent improved quality of life - the healthcare sector, in terms of a prolif eration of cost-effective solutions - industry, in terms of next generation products and applications - society, in terms of a reduction in the staggering increases in health and nursing expenses