GE HealthCare has entered a strategic collaboration with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, to establish a nationwide paediatric Care Innovation Hub.
Established in 1883, Cincinnati Children’s is a nonprofit serving patients from all US states.
The partnership aims to advance paediatric medical imaging, including magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), molecular imaging (MI), and ultrasound.
The collaboration will combine Cincinnati Children’s clinical expertise with GE HealthCare’s technological capabilities to enhance paediatric care delivery.
It will focus on addressing the unique challenges of imaging children by developing advanced imaging technologies and methodologies personalised for paediatric patients.
GE HealthCare research and scientific affairs vice president Erin Angel said: “We are thrilled to partner with the renowned Cincinnati Children’s to develop this Care Innovation Hub.
“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 paediatric patients and how to improve the healthcare experience for all populations.
“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.”
The partnership aims to create high-density MR coil arrays and advanced imaging techniques for precise and comfortable diagnostics.
In ultrasound, the collaboration will engage Cincinnati Children’s radiology and cardiology departments to refine product development.
The partners will ensure early clinical feedback for paediatric applications, to enhance GE HealthCare’s features and devices, including AI algorithms.
Cincinnati Children’s department of radiology and medical imaging clinical research director Andrew Trout said: “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.”
GE HealthCare and Cincinnati Children’s will also develop new liver imaging techniques.
Their teams will evaluate PET and SPECT imaging technologies to personalise treatment plans through optimised software workflows and improved image reconstruction.
In CT imaging, the partnership will work on optimising and automating workflows for paediatric contexts and evaluating new CT technologies and best practices.
Cincinnati Children’s radiologist-in-chief Brian Coley said: “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 paediatric use as is usually necessary, access to the latest technology at earlier stages of development will allow us to create paediatric-focused imaging technology from the beginning.
“Once developed, this partnership will foster translation into the broader pediatric healthcare ecosystem, bringing these advances to paediatric imaging worldwide and making the impact that Cincinnati Children’s, as a research powerhouse, is known for.”
