GE HealthCare and the University of California, San Francisco are partnering on medical imaging research. [Photo courtesy of University of California, San Francisco]
The joint research collaboration involving the UCSF Dept. of Radiology & Biomedical Imaging aims to address meaningful clinical challenges in accessibility to advanced medical imaging, noninvasive diagnosis and management of neurological and neurodegenerative disease and precision oncology.
The hub is meant to leverage the strengths of academia and industry. It aims to create, evaluate and translate novel technology into a clinical setting. GE HealthCare and UCSF want to advance the diagnosis and treatment of disease. They hope to improve hospital operations and drive access to care.
The company and university plan to develop more automated imaging methods, like patient-specific MRI techniques. Projects in this area focus on advancing quantitative imaging for cardiac and musculoskeletal disease. They want to develop methods to enable high-quality remote scanning.
To expand the understanding of brain functions through advanced imaging, the teams aim to explore the links between white matter injury, vascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. They want to identify ways to predict treatment efficacy for brain health interventions.
Finally, GE HealthCare and UCSF want to develop quantitative imaging methods to monitor patient response to radiopharmaceutical therapies. They aim to standardize processes for new approaches, like visualization of alpha-emitting radiopharmaceuticals.
“We’re honored to collaborate with UCSF on this important work, which has the potential to significantly improve patient outcomes and address life-threatening diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and prostate cancer worldwide,” Erin Angel, GE HealthCare global VP of research and scientific affairs, said in a news release. “By combining our strengths, we’re taking steps toward solutions that meet real clinical needs. Together, we’re building something we hope will make a meaningful difference for patients and the future of healthcare.”
GE HealthCare strikes another partnership
In addition to the collaboration with UCSF, GE HealthCare entered into a seven-year strategic enterprise partnership with Sutter Health.
This partnership, known as Care Alliance, aims to increase access to innovative imaging services. GE HealthCare wants to create a more seamless, coordinated experience for clinicians and patients across the Sutter Health system.
The long-term collaboration seeks to increase access to essential diagnostic care across California. It marks one of GE HealthCare’s largest ever enterprise strategic partnerships.
GE HealthCare said the first key focus area is an accelerated technology program focused on some of the most advanced AI-powered imaging technology and digital solutions available to patients. That includes PET/CT, SPECT/CT, MRI, CT, X-ray, nuclear medicine and ultrasound.
“We are committed to support Sutter Health in its mission and have deep respect for their openness to a collaboration that meets the heart of their needs,” said Catherine Estrampes, U.S. and Canada president and CEO at GE HealthCare. “This Care Alliance is a customized, clinician-focused approach aligned with our shared goals. It was jointly designed with expert assessment of how we provide our latest imaging technology in the right settings to serve patients most efficiently throughout their care journey, closer to home. We look forward to supporting Sutter Health physicians and clinicians in delivering enhanced patients’ outcomes.”
