Cincinnati Children’s and GE HealthCare build collaborative research program to drive pediatric imaging innovation
Cincinnati Children's and GE HealthCare (GEHC) have announced a groundbreaking strategic research collaboration to establish the first pediatric Care Innovation Hub nationwide. The partnership aims to advance pediatric medical imaging innovation across multiple modalities including MRI, CT, molecular imaging, and ultrasound.
The collaboration brings together Cincinnati Children's clinical expertise with GE HealthCare's medical technology capabilities to develop pediatric-focused imaging technologies. Key focus areas include: developing high-density MR coil arrays specifically sized for children, creating AI algorithms for ultrasound, evaluating new PET and SPECT imaging technologies, and optimizing CT workflows for pediatric patients.
This initiative represents a new model for combining resources and talent to accelerate innovation in pediatric imaging. The findings and technologies developed through this partnership are intended to benefit pediatric care providers globally, with the goal of improving clinical outcomes and patient care delivery.
Cincinnati Children's e GE HealthCare (GEHC) hanno annunciato una collaborazione strategica di ricerca innovativa per stabilire il primo Care Innovation Hub pediatrico a livello nazionale. L'obiettivo della partnership è avanzare l'innovazione nella diagnostica medica pediatrica attraverso molteplici modalità, tra cui MRI, CT, imaging molecolare e ultrasuoni.
La collaborazione unisce l'expertise clinica di Cincinnati Children's con le capacità tecnologiche mediche di GE HealthCare per sviluppare tecnologie di imaging focalizzate sui bambini. Le aree chiave di interesse includono: lo sviluppo di array di bobine MR ad alta densità specificamente dimensionati per i bambini, la creazione di algoritmi AI per gli ultrasuoni, la valutazione di nuove tecnologie di imaging PET e SPECT, e l'ottimizzazione dei flussi di lavoro CT per i pazienti pediatrici.
Questa iniziativa rappresenta un nuovo modello per combinare risorse e talenti per accelerare l'innovazione nell'imaging pediatrico. I risultati e le tecnologie sviluppate attraverso questa partnership sono destinati a beneficiare i fornitori di assistenza pediatrica a livello globale, con l'obiettivo di migliorare i risultati clinici e la fornitura di assistenza ai pazienti.
Cincinnati Children's y GE HealthCare (GEHC) han anunciado una colaboración estratégica de investigación innovadora para establecer el primer Care Innovation Hub pediátrico a nivel nacional. La asociación tiene como objetivo avanzar en la innovación de la imagen médica pediátrica a través de múltiples modalidades, incluyendo MRI, CT, imagenología molecular y ultrasonido.
La colaboración reúne la experiencia clínica de Cincinnati Children's con las capacidades tecnológicas médicas de GE HealthCare para desarrollar tecnologías de imagen centradas en los niños. Las áreas clave de enfoque incluyen: el desarrollo de matrices de bobinas MR de alta densidad específicamente diseñadas para niños, la creación de algoritmos de IA para ultrasonido, la evaluación de nuevas tecnologías de imagen PET y SPECT, y la optimización de flujos de trabajo de CT para pacientes pediátricos.
Esta iniciativa representa un nuevo modelo para combinar recursos y talentos para acelerar la innovación en la imagen pediátrica. Los hallazgos y tecnologías desarrollados a través de esta asociación están destinados a beneficiar a los proveedores de atención pediátrica a nivel global, con el objetivo de mejorar los resultados clínicos y la entrega de atención al paciente.
신시내티 아동병원과 GE 헬스케어 (GEHC)는 전국 최초의 소아 케어 혁신 허브를 설립하기 위한 획기적인 전략 연구 협력을 발표했습니다. 이 파트너십은 MRI, CT, 분자 영상 및 초음파를 포함한 여러 방식에서 소아 의료 이미징 혁신을 발전시키는 것을 목표로 하고 있습니다.
이 협력은 신시내티 아동병원의 임상 전문성과 GE 헬스케어의 의료 기술 능력을 결합하여 소아 중심의 이미징 기술을 개발합니다. 주요 초점 영역에는 어린이를 위해 특별히 설계된 고밀도 MR 코일 배열 개발, 초음파를 위한 AI 알고리즘 생성, 새로운 PET 및 SPECT 이미징 기술 평가, 그리고 소아 환자를 위한 CT 워크플로 최적화가 포함됩니다.
이 이니셔티브는 자원과 인재를 결합하여 소아 이미징 혁신을 가속화하는 새로운 모델을 나타냅니다. 이 파트너십을 통해 개발된 결과와 기술은 전 세계 소아 진료 제공자에게 혜택을 주기 위한 것으로, 임상 결과와 환자 치료 제공을 개선하는 것을 목표로 합니다.
Cincinnati Children's et GE HealthCare (GEHC) ont annoncé une collaboration stratégique de recherche révolutionnaire pour établir le premier Care Innovation Hub pédiatrique à l'échelle nationale. Le partenariat vise à faire progresser l'innovation en imagerie médicale pédiatrique à travers plusieurs modalités, y compris l'IRM, le CT, l'imagerie moléculaire et l'échographie.
La collaboration réunit l'expertise clinique de Cincinnati Children's avec les capacités technologiques médicales de GE HealthCare pour développer des technologies d'imagerie axées sur les enfants. Les domaines clés d'intérêt comprennent : le développement d'ensembles de bobines IRM haute densité spécifiquement dimensionnés pour les enfants, la création d'algorithmes d'IA pour l'échographie, l'évaluation de nouvelles technologies d'imagerie PET et SPECT, et l'optimisation des flux de travail CT pour les patients pédiatriques.
Cette initiative représente un nouveau modèle pour combiner ressources et talents afin d'accélérer l'innovation en imagerie pédiatrique. Les résultats et les technologies développés grâce à ce partenariat sont destinés à bénéficier aux prestataires de soins pédiatriques dans le monde entier, dans le but d'améliorer les résultats cliniques et la prestation de soins aux patients.
Cincinnati Children's und GE HealthCare (GEHC) haben eine bahnbrechende strategische Forschungskooperation angekündigt, um den ersten Care Innovation Hub für Kinder in ganz Deutschland zu etablieren. Die Partnerschaft zielt darauf ab, die Innovation in der pädiatrischen medizinischen Bildgebung über mehrere Modalitäten hinweg voranzutreiben, einschließlich MRT, CT, molekulare Bildgebung und Ultraschall.
Die Zusammenarbeit vereint die klinische Expertise von Cincinnati Children's mit den medizinischen Technologiekompetenzen von GE HealthCare, um kinderfokussierte Bildgebungstechnologien zu entwickeln. Die Hauptaugenmerke liegen auf: der Entwicklung von hochdichten MRT-Spulenarrays, die speziell für Kinder dimensioniert sind, der Erstellung von KI-Algorithmen für Ultraschall, der Bewertung neuer PET- und SPECT-Bildgebungstechnologien sowie der Optimierung von CT-Workflows für pädiatrische Patienten.
Diese Initiative stellt ein neues Modell dar, um Ressourcen und Talente zu kombinieren und die Innovation in der pädiatrischen Bildgebung zu beschleunigen. Die durch diese Partnerschaft entwickelten Ergebnisse und Technologien sollen weltweit den Anbietern von pädiatrischer Versorgung zugutekommen, mit dem Ziel, die klinischen Ergebnisse und die Patientenversorgung zu verbessern.
- First-of-its-kind nationwide pediatric imaging innovation partnership
- Access to early-stage technology development for pediatric-specific solutions
- Potential for global commercialization of developed technologies
- None.
Insights
GE HealthCare's strategic research collaboration with Cincinnati Children's to establish the first pediatric Care Innovation Hub represents a thoughtful long-term investment in a specialized market segment. The partnership provides GE HealthCare with privileged access to clinical expertise from one of America's top-ranked children's hospitals, potentially accelerating the development cycle for pediatric-specific imaging solutions across MRI, CT, ultrasound, and molecular imaging modalities.
This "built for kids" approach addresses a critical gap in medical imaging, as most technologies are designed for adults and later adapted for pediatric use. By developing pediatric-focused imaging technology from inception, GE HealthCare could create differentiated solutions for a challenging patient population with unique imaging requirements due to their varied sizes and positioning challenges.
While strategically sound, the partnership's financial impact remains difficult to quantify without disclosed investment amounts or commercialization timelines. The pediatric segment represents a smaller but specialized market compared to adult healthcare, though innovations developed for pediatric applications often yield benefits that extend to broader patient populations. This could strengthen GE HealthCare's competitive positioning across its entire imaging portfolio.
The collaboration aligns with GE HealthCare's innovation strategy but will likely have minimal near-term financial impact given the typically extended development and regulatory timelines for medical imaging technologies. This represents more of a long-term strategic investment in sustaining innovation capabilities rather than an immediate revenue catalyst.
This collaboration between GE HealthCare and Cincinnati Children's addresses a fundamental challenge in pediatric imaging: children aren't simply "small adults" from an imaging perspective. Developing purpose-built solutions for pediatric applications represents a significant technical opportunity across multiple modalities.
The MRI focus on high-density coil arrays sized appropriately for children tackles a persistent technical challenge. Current adult-oriented coil designs often provide suboptimal signal-to-noise ratios in smaller patients, while motion-robust acquisition methods are particularly valuable for pediatric applications where patient compliance is challenging. Similarly, the ultrasound initiatives targeting liver imaging techniques could advance quantitative capabilities critical for managing pediatric liver disorders.
In molecular imaging, optimizing PET/SPECT reconstruction for pediatric applications addresses the unique challenges of radiation dose management and image quality in smaller patients. The CT workflow optimization also targets efficiency improvements essential for pediatric settings where minimizing sedation and maximizing throughput are critical operational concerns.
Importantly, technical advances driven by pediatric applications often yield benefits throughout a product line - the constraints of pediatric imaging (motion, small anatomies, dose sensitivity) drive innovations that benefit all patients. While competitors like Siemens Healthineers and Philips also pursue pediatric imaging innovations, this dedicated Care Innovation Hub model could accelerate GE HealthCare's development cycle through more focused clinical feedback loops and testing protocols.
- This strategic research collaboration – known as a Care Innovation Hub – will bring together clinicians and researchers from Cincinnati Children’s with clinical scientists and engineers from GE HealthCare to work together on projects that aim to develop the next generation of pediatric medical imaging in MR, CT, molecular imaging, ultrasound, and more.
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Research developed as part of the collaboration will aim to improve the consistency of care delivered by all pediatric care providers to help address unmet needs in pediatric medicine
Ranked as one of America’s best children’s hospitals by
“This collaboration with GE HealthCare is an opportunity to increase our ability to impact and improve how children are imaged far beyond our own health system,” said Andrew Trout, MD, Director of Clinical Research at Cincinnati Children’s department of Radiology and Medical Imaging.”
“Collaborating with GE HealthCare is an opportunity to leverage Cincinnati Children’s clinical and research capabilities and participate in technology development with a global imaging leader. Rather than having to adapt techniques created for adults to pediatric use as is usually necessary, access to the latest technology at earlier stages of development will allow us to create pediatric-focused imaging technology from the beginning,” said Brian Coley, MD, Radiologist-in-Chief at Cincinnati Children’s. “Once developed, this partnership will foster translation into the broader pediatric healthcare ecosystem, bringing these advances to pediatric imaging worldwide and making the impact that Cincinnati Children’s, as a research powerhouse, is known for.”
With a ‘built for kids’ mission, this collaborative, multi-modality approach aims to further help build understandings and innovations for diagnostic imaging beyond pediatric use cases, as children are often the most challenging patients due to their wide range of sizes and unique positioning challenges.
“Pediatric research and increasing access to precision care technologies are priorities for GE HealthCare. We are thrilled to partner with the renowned Cincinnati Children’s to develop this Care Innovation Hub,” said GE HealthCare Vice President of Research & Scientific Affairs Erin Angel. “When we think of diagnostic imaging, we may be predisposed to think of aging populations who are experiencing serious illness or disease, but we also need to consider pediatric patients and how to improve the healthcare experience for all populations based on our learnings. That is what this Care Innovation Hub is about. It is a chance to do better and be better for all who may need diagnostic imaging whether it is for themselves or a loved one.”
Care Innovation Hub pillars
Developing pediatric excellence in MRI
This partnership aims to build and test prototypes of high-density MR coil arrays sized appropriately for children, which can help both increase patient comfort and enable more precise images in smaller patients. Additionally, there will be an emphasis on developing imaging techniques that address the challenges of imaging a child, such as highly accelerated and motion robust methods that enable rapid, high-quality exams in body, neurologic, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal applications.
Unlocking solutions in clinical challenges of ultrasound
Ultrasound projects developed will focus on engaging with radiology and cardiology departments at Cincinnati Children’s to collaborate on product development and ensure early clinical feedback specific to pediatric use to shape the future of GE HealthCare features and devices, including AI algorithms. GE HealthCare and Cincinnati Children’s will also work together to improve the use of ultrasound to gather measurable data, including development of new technology and clinical evidence for liver imaging techniques.
Evaluating Molecular Imaging in pediatrics
Cincinnati Children’s and GE HealthCare teams hope to evaluate new and emerging technologies in positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging, including the personalization of treatment plans based on optimized software workflows. Cincinnati Children’s and GE HealthCare intend to collaborate on optimizing and improving image reconstruction and developing evidence showing the utility of PET and SPECT imaging in pediatric imaging.
Optimizing, evaluating Computed Tomography for pediatrics
Cincinnati Children’s and GE HealthCare scientists plan to work together to further optimize and automate CT workflows for pediatric patients and the clinicians that serve them. Researchers will do this by evaluating new CT technology in a pediatric context and will disseminate best practices to health providers globally that administer pediatric care.
About Cincinnati Children’s
Cincinnati Children’s is ranked among the best pediatric health systems in the nation by
About GE HealthCare Technologies Inc.
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FAQ
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