Future prize goes to researcher from Erlangen for MRI device
A research team from Erlangen has been awarded the German Future Prize 2023 for the development of a new type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) device. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier presented the prestigious award to Stephan Biber, David M. Grodzki and Michael Uder on Wednesday evening in Berlin. Biber and Grodzki work for Siemens Healthineers AG, Uder is Director of the Institute of Radiology at Erlangen University Hospital. The company and the university have already been in the running for the Future Prize several times.
MRI machines have recently become larger and more powerful in order to provide better images of the inside of the body for diagnosing joint damage, heart attacks or tumors, for example, according to the Zukunftspreis website. The team has now succeeded in taking high-resolution and medically meaningful images with significantly weaker magnetic fields. This has significantly reduced the complexity, costs and high weight of the devices. This does not affect the image quality.
The researchers use newly developed imaging techniques and processes with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) for image reconstruction. These include an image-based algorithm that ensures a higher resolution, as well as an approach for the direct reconstruction of MRI images from the raw data.
The first example of the new device was tested at the Institute of Radiology at Erlangen University Hospital. A new class of such MRI scanners has now been installed in around 40 countries, for example in Brazil, India and Angola, the developers reported.
Bavaria's Science Minister Markus Blume (CSU) spoke of a "medical revolution from Bavaria for the whole world". "The team from Erlangen has developed a completely new type of MRI that gives billions of people in regions with limited financial resources and technical possibilities access to one of the most important medical examination procedures," he said.
The German Future Prize is endowed with 250,000 euros and is an award for technology and innovation. Market maturity is a prerequisite for the prize.
The winning team competed against two other teams: A Hamburg team further developed a space technology to avoid CO2. Researchers from Dortmund worked on making gas burners more efficient, especially for industry.
The researchers' innovative MRI device, responsible for the Future Prize win, significantly reduces the complexity, costs, and weight of traditional MRI machines, all while maintaining high-resolution images and medical relevance, utilizing new imaging techniques and AI for reconstruction.
This groundbreaking MRI innovation has received the German Future Prize 2023, primarily due to its ability to deliver high-quality images at significantly reduced magnetic fields, thereby making the technology more accessible in regions with limited resources.
Source: www.dpa.com
