Medical imaging company Q Bio announced the launch of a multiparametric MRI upgrade, dubbed Tensor Field Mapping (TFM), designed to provide more detail into the inner-workings of the human body than are currently possible with an MR scanner.
TFM will be featured in the Q Bio Mark I full-body scanner—a system custom built for the upgrade—where images are made available immediately for reading, AI analysis and storage. The key change is a 100-fold reduction in computational power, along with Maxwell regularization for precise coil sensitivity modeling, allowing for clearer images with fewer motion artifacts.
The upgrade marks a major step toward achieving quantified MR. Quantifiable MRI approaches are computationally very demanding, and were for decades thought to be infeasible. The process involves creating a simulation alongside the real scan to enhance image quality by comparison and was thought to be only achievable in the event of a quantum computing breakthrough.
However, advancements in computer chips and processing power will allow Q Bio to build upon TFM to achieve true quantitative MRI, the company said, using existing technology.
"Quantified MRIs have been anticipated for over 25 years, TFM has been the breakthrough that has made them the reality," said Thomas Witzel, PhD, VP of Imaging at Q Bio said in a statement. "By modeling the entire imaging process without idealizing assumptions about the hardware, we're not only enhancing the quality of MRI data but also paving the way for the development of new MRI equipment optimized for speed and patient comfort.”
Qbio said it is partnering with providers and researchers to prove the capabilities of TFM, which they claim will ultimately improve the diagnosis and treatment of disease. The company said they will share details from their findings in the future.
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