Siemens Healthineers and The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center have inked a 10-year, $105 million partnership and research collaboration.
The organizations said they will develop technologies together as they drive innovation in diagnostic and therapeutic imaging as well as artificial intelligence and machine learning in radiology and radiation oncology.
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“The partnership involves an investment in imaging technology with a strategic focus on the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, cardiac, and neurological conditions,” said Jennifer Dauer, chief strategy and transformation officer at The Ohio State University Medical Center.
Under the terms of the partnership, the health system will purchase Siemens' linear accelerators and MRI, CT, interventional radiology, PET and X-ray products. The company will also help the health system develop operational workflows using advanced imaging information technology to reduce scan times, decrease wait times, and make advanced imaging tests available to more people, regardless of where they live.
The company and health system will also form a new imaging center. There, scientists, physicians, engineers and clinicians from various disciplines will develop technology that can be quickly integrated into clinical practice to treat different diseases.
“Serving as the university’s central hub for imaging research, the center will ensure the seamless translation of research into clinical practice,” said Dr. Pari Pandharipande, professor and chair of radiology at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “The co-investment in this vision is expected to accelerate clinical and research impact and advancements.”
As the two organizations co-develop the technologies, the efforts will focus on systems that can improve clinical outcomes and healthcare delivery and will be determined based on findings from the research collaboration, Pandharipande said.
Siemens Healthineers has been the primary supplier of the medical center’s MRI, CT, molecular imaging, X-ray, interventional radiology, and radiation oncology equipment for the past 15-plus years.
The organizations have a history of co-developing MRI techniques for detecting inflammation of the heart muscle and imaging cardiac function and blood flow. They also came up with methods for imaging the heart using a more affordable, lower field strength MRI scanner.
This story has been updated with additional comments from partnership leaders.
