Post by Banjo on Dec 24, 2017 9:45:43 GMT 7
Stroke breakthrough: Brisbane-designed portable brain scanner
IN A BREAKTHROUGH that could save thousands of lives and minimise the risk of permanent disability, a Queensland-designed portable brain scanner is expected to speed up diagnosis and treatment for stroke patients.
The device, which has been a decade in the making, has been likened to the portable defibrillator in terms of its life-saving potential.
It will be tested next year in stroke patients in Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital intensive care unit.
Further trials in emergency department patients are expected to follow.
If the trials are successful, portable brain scanners not much bigger than a bicycle helmet could be on the market by 2020, with possible uses in ambulances, emergency departments and remote locations, including on cruise ships.
The scanner was developed by a team led by University of Queensland engineering professors Amin Abbosh and Stuart Crozier.
Professor Abbosh is an international leader in electromagnetic imaging and Professor Crozier developed technology used in many of the world’s magnetic resonance imaging machines to produce faster and clearer images.
UQ’s commercialisation company UniQuest has licensed the technology to start-up company EMvision Medical Devices Ltd.
EMvision co-founder Scott Kirkland said that while other companies were also working on portable scanners, he was “confident EMvision would bring a superior, locally developed product to market.”
The UQ scanner, expected to cost less than $100,000, provides a 3D image of brain tissue using safe, low-power electromagnetic waves.
In cases of patients with suspected strokes, brain scanning is essential to determine the appropriate treatment.
It allows doctors to identify whether the stroke is caused by a brain bleed or a clot and to treat the patient accordingly.
But often diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients is delayed, particularly if they live in remote areas where scanners are not available.
Stroke is the third biggest cause of death in Australia, killing more than 10,000 people annually.
EMvision CEO John Keep said the difference between permanent disability or death and a positive recovery after a stroke was often timely diagnosis and treatment.
“The scanner has the potential to be one of Australia’s most successful university commercialisation stories,” he said.
Dean Moss, CEO of UniQuest, UQ’s commercialisation entity, said stroke cost Australia about $5 billion annually, including patient rehabilitation.
“The portability, cost-effectiveness and safety of this device is a very attractive proposition for the healthcare industry, with potential for use in both hospitals and ambulances throughout the world,” Dr Moss said.
“It is also ideal for use in rural and remote areas. In Australia, rural and remote stroke patients are 20 per cent more likely to die than their metropolitan counterparts, due to delayed diagnosis.
“This device could well have the same lifesaving potential as the widespread introduction of defibrillators here 20 years ago.”
EMVision was recently awarded a $2.6 million Australian Government grant to work with UQ, GE Healthcare and the Princess Alexandra Hospital to accelerate the scanner program.
www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/stroke-breakthrough-brisbanedesigned-portable-brain-scanner/news-story/2315ff1b9d01be5da408a8150fa93523
IN A BREAKTHROUGH that could save thousands of lives and minimise the risk of permanent disability, a Queensland-designed portable brain scanner is expected to speed up diagnosis and treatment for stroke patients.
The device, which has been a decade in the making, has been likened to the portable defibrillator in terms of its life-saving potential.
It will be tested next year in stroke patients in Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital intensive care unit.
Further trials in emergency department patients are expected to follow.
If the trials are successful, portable brain scanners not much bigger than a bicycle helmet could be on the market by 2020, with possible uses in ambulances, emergency departments and remote locations, including on cruise ships.
The scanner was developed by a team led by University of Queensland engineering professors Amin Abbosh and Stuart Crozier.
Professor Abbosh is an international leader in electromagnetic imaging and Professor Crozier developed technology used in many of the world’s magnetic resonance imaging machines to produce faster and clearer images.
UQ’s commercialisation company UniQuest has licensed the technology to start-up company EMvision Medical Devices Ltd.
EMvision co-founder Scott Kirkland said that while other companies were also working on portable scanners, he was “confident EMvision would bring a superior, locally developed product to market.”
The UQ scanner, expected to cost less than $100,000, provides a 3D image of brain tissue using safe, low-power electromagnetic waves.
In cases of patients with suspected strokes, brain scanning is essential to determine the appropriate treatment.
It allows doctors to identify whether the stroke is caused by a brain bleed or a clot and to treat the patient accordingly.
But often diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients is delayed, particularly if they live in remote areas where scanners are not available.
Stroke is the third biggest cause of death in Australia, killing more than 10,000 people annually.
EMvision CEO John Keep said the difference between permanent disability or death and a positive recovery after a stroke was often timely diagnosis and treatment.
“The scanner has the potential to be one of Australia’s most successful university commercialisation stories,” he said.
Dean Moss, CEO of UniQuest, UQ’s commercialisation entity, said stroke cost Australia about $5 billion annually, including patient rehabilitation.
“The portability, cost-effectiveness and safety of this device is a very attractive proposition for the healthcare industry, with potential for use in both hospitals and ambulances throughout the world,” Dr Moss said.
“It is also ideal for use in rural and remote areas. In Australia, rural and remote stroke patients are 20 per cent more likely to die than their metropolitan counterparts, due to delayed diagnosis.
“This device could well have the same lifesaving potential as the widespread introduction of defibrillators here 20 years ago.”
EMVision was recently awarded a $2.6 million Australian Government grant to work with UQ, GE Healthcare and the Princess Alexandra Hospital to accelerate the scanner program.
www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/stroke-breakthrough-brisbanedesigned-portable-brain-scanner/news-story/2315ff1b9d01be5da408a8150fa93523
