Philips partnerships accelerate development of magnetic particle
imaging
21 Dec 2010
Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) has initiated
a German public-private partnership to develop whole-body magnetic
particle imaging (MPI) systems and preclinical hybrid systems that
combine MPI with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research has made a
commitment to provide €10.6 million
funding to the consortium partners. The target size of the
consortium budget, comprising contributions from the German
government and the consortium’s public/private partners, is
€20.3 million.
Philips is committed to delivering leading-edge imaging solutions
to help in the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of disease.
Researching future-generation imaging technologies such as MPI
underpins the long-term nature of this commitment.
MPI was invented by scientists at Philips. It relies on the
magnetic properties of iron-oxide nanoparticles (the so-called
tracer) that are injected into the bloodstream. An MPI system
spatially and quantitatively detects these iron-oxide nanoparticles
in order to produce three-dimensional images of physiological
processes. The technology has already proved capable of capturing
accurate real-time 3D-images of blood flow and heart motion in mice.
“As part of our Open Innovation approach, Philips has initiated
the Magnetic Particle Imaging Technology (MAPIT) consortium to
accelerate the translation of this innovative new imaging concept
into clinical practice,” says Michael Kuhn, Vice President
Technology Strategy at Philips Healthcare.
“Realizing the full potential of MPI to help in elucidating the
processes associated with disease requires an integrated approach
and a collaborative effort. I am convinced that the
multidisciplinary MAPIT consortium is well positioned to advance MPI
development in the areas of instrumentation, tracers, and
application research.”
“Constant improvements in medical imaging technology have
significantly boosted advances in healthcare. Based on the level of
performance that has been demonstrated in preclinical studies, I
consider MPI to be a new imaging modality with the real potential to
improve diagnostic imaging in cardiology and oncology, as well as
being a tremendous tool for the advancement of molecular imaging in
general,” says Professor Bernd Hamm, Director of the Department of
Radiology and Chair of Radiology at the Charité -
Universitätsmedizin Berlin.
Philips and the University of Lübeck, two of the three proposed
consortium partners in the instrumentation area, will focus on the
development of whole-body MPI demonstrators. The third
instrumentation partner, Bruker Corporation, will focus on
developing a simultaneous or consecutive preclinical MPI plus MRI
capability. This will complement the functional MPI information with
morphological information from MRI for the purposes of preclinical
imaging.
In the area of tracer development, the proposed partners Bayer
Schering Pharma AG, Miltenyi Biotec, Charité-Universitätsmedizin
Berlin and the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) aim to
develop magnetic nanoparticle materials optimized for MPI.
Two principal application areas will be explored by the
consortium: functional cardiovascular measurements (such as
myocardial perfusion) and image-guidance of cardiovascular
interventions (using interventional devices optimized for MPI
guidance).
The results achieved at the Philips Research Laboratories in
Hamburg (Germany) in the preceding MAGIC (Magnetic Particle Imaging
for Cardiovascular Applications) research consortium contributed
significantly to the development of MPI. The MAGIC project, which
was also funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and
Research, has already resulted in an agreement between Philips and
Bruker Biospin regarding the commercialization of MPI scanners for
the preclinical market.